Who in the Hell is Elena Gilbert?
by BtrixMcG
Summary: Damon Salvatore, Hollywood's highest paid actor, is reluctantly cast alongside an unknown daytime actress, the fetching Elena Gilbert, in a major motion picture.  He is not pleased.
1. Meet Cute

TITLE: Who the Hell is Elena Gilbert?

SUMMARY: Damon Salvatore, Hollywood's highest paid actor, is reluctantly cast alongside an unknown daytime actress, the fetching Elena Gilbert, in a major motion picture. He is not pleased. AH, AU.

RATING: M, eventually

DISCLAIMER: Vampire Diaries is the sole property of zzzz... What? Oh sorry. Fell asleep for a minute there. Anyway, I think you get the idea.

AN: Inspired by the cover of last week's Entertainment Weekly (02/17/2012). All I can say is THANK GOD I got the one with Delena, and not what's-his-name. I cannot tell you how much fun I am having writing this. It will be about 8-10 chapters and I've gotten about half written already, so look for frequent updates for a while (then, you know, the long-ass wait while I battle writer's block and laziness). I'm rating this M for later chapters, but this isn't just an excuse to write porn, as, ahem, my other stories have been. This is romance BABY.

Oh, and Katherine and Elena look similar, but not identical in this one.

Also people, can you PLEASE let me know about typos? I re-read these stories dozens of times before posting but I still miss things. Then it drives me crazy later when I find them.

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><p>"Seriously, Ric, who is she?" Damon Salvatore's foot tapped impatiently on the floor, the beat erratic and increasing in pace the more agitated he got. It was a nervous tic that had served him well over the years, alerted countless agents, directors, producers, and journalists that this major Hollywood movie star was about to go ballistic. Each reacted in different ways, but each sought to capitalize on the actor's temper. The agent would cajole, the director would smooth over, talking in nice quiet tones about how next time it would be better; the producer might or might not match his outburst; and the journalist would gleefully take out his pencil or tape recorder, sure they were about to strike tabloid gold.<p>

Alaric Saltzman was perhaps the only director in Hollywood not terrified of Damon Salvatore. The two had known each other since undergrad, Damon had acted in some of Alaric's earliest student films, and both had risen to a fame that early on they could only imagine in their wildest dreams. They had made three previous movies together, all very successful action franchises, all high grossing. It was due to their friendship and enduring partnership that Damon was even considering Alaric's harebrained idea.

Ric thumped the cover of Soap Opera Weekly on the desk in front of Damon. A pretty, dark-haired girl glowered from the cover, her arms wrapped tightly around an older, well-known soap opera actor.

"I'm telling you, she's good. Really good," Ric said for the third time that morning. "She's stunningly gorgeous, classically trained, and has single-handedly turned around ratings on a dying show."

Damon cleared his throat. "Let me be clear, I am not acting in this film with some glorified soft-porn actress."

Alaric scoffed. "Soap acting is not porn and you know it. There are several good actors who have transitioned over from daytime, Sarah Michelle Gellar for example.."

Damon flipped through the magazine, to the cover story, unimpressed by Ric's example. "Please. To what? Buffy the Vampire Slayer? Hardly Oscar-worthy."

Alaric's face took on the stoic, hard look he only broke out for his volatile friend. "Actually, it doesn't really matter what you think. She's already signed the contract, and you yourself have a contractual obligation to make this movie. There is nothing more to discuss." He left the magazine where it lay open in front of Damon, a centerfold of Elena holding a butcher knife against the throat of the same man she embraced on the cover. Alaric returned to his desk and sat down, plopping his feet in the corner. "Whine and cry like a little bitch all you want Damon. Elena Gilbert is your next co-star."

Damon tore his gaze from her ample cleavage and scowled at him, "What about Katherine? You told me she could do the next film. She's free, ready and willing. And certainly a bigger draw than a nobody only fat housewives and shut-in have heard of."

Ric frowned. "Katherine's not right for it. The character of Nina is a vulnerable creature. Katherine is about as vulnerable as canned goods in an apocalypse."

"Hey, that's my girlfriend you're talking about!" Damon was outraged, but not by much. Even he knew the ice queen reputation his girlfriend had.

"You know it's true. If there was a part of a beautiful villainess, she'd be top on the list. But we need someone sweeter, a Bulgarian girl-next-door as it were."

"How do you know this woman is any sweeter than Katherine? She's an actress, for God's sake." Damon cocked his head to the side. "Wait. Did she manage to play you like women always do?"

Ric swung his feet off the desk. "Ok. That's enough." Ric had bad luck with women, but it was a low blow for Damon to bring it up. He looked at the clock on his desk and ran a hand through his hair. "You know, I can't figure out what your problem is. You get to spend several months with a beautiful young woman who will probably lie at your feet in supplication and wonder, she'll be so excited to work with you."

Damon rolled his eyes and stood, flipping the magazine shut and turning it over, so that a picture of a vacuum cleaner stared out at him instead of the sexy daytime vixen. "I don't need another groupie, Ric. And I'm sure her charms have been, er, over-sampled we might say. I'll work with her, but I have no interest in meeting her before the first rehearsal and especially have no desire to be BFF's with her. Swapping makeup tips and so forth."

There was a knock on the door and they both turned towards it. Ric glared at him and spoke softly. "Well, not much choice there buddy. She's here now. Try and behave yourself." He stood and walked over to the door, opening it to reveal the girl in question who froze in mid-knock stance: hand up-raised, chin slightly raised as if she was preparing herself to enter a difficult situation.

"Oh hi, Mr. Saltzman," Elena said quietly with a small smile. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. She was dressed in a green halter dress and gold sandals and Damon had to admit, she looked even better in person than in print.

Damon snorted loudly. Mr. Saltzman? Really? Who did this girl think she was fooling? She was pretty, he'd give her that. Shorter than him but still tall for a woman. She slightly resembled Katherine in that they both had dark eyes and long brown hair but the resemblance stopped there. Katherine had a more refined beauty. This girl looked like a cheerleader. Great, he thought. Rah rah.

She turned towards him and cast him a shy smile. "Hi," she said a little breathlessly like she was star-struck.

"Hi," he breathlessly replied in a mocking tone.

Elena frowned, her eyebrows meeting in the middle of her face.

"Ahem," Alaric interjected. "Let me introduce you two. Damon Salvatore, meet your new leading lady, Elena Gilbert of Mystic Falls Va. lately of the soap opera, Love of Our Lives. Elena, meet Damon, who probably needs no introduction."

Elena tried again and forced herself to smile. "Nice to meet you Damo..."

"Mystic Falls? Where in the hell is that? Not in the Beltway I'm assuming?"

"No, it's further south near..."

"Whatever. Anyway, nice to meet you, see you at rehearsal next week." He strode past the two of them and stood in the doorway. "And Elena Gilbert? One piece of advice."

"Yes?" she replied tentatively, turning to him.

"Don't fuck up my movie." With this final barb lobbed, he turned and sauntered down the hallway towards the reception area, giving Ric's assistant a 100-watt smile.

Alaric took a stunned Elena by the arm and led her to the chair Damon had been sitting in. "Ignore him," he said as he crossed to the other side of the desk and sat down. "He can be a real dick sometimes."

"I for one," he continued, "am thrilled you are on board. This is going to be a great movie." Noticing her alarmed expression he added, "Don't worry Elena, he'll come around. You're too nice to ignore for long."

Elena smiled and composed herself. "He lacks basic manners, I see. But you've known him for a long time. Is it his natural inclination to be horrible or did fame make him that way?"

"Bit of both, I believe. You aren't born that good-looking and not be used to getting your way. He's just pissed I didn't cast his girlfriend."

"Katherine Petrova?"

"Yes, do you know her?"

Elena blushed. "No, not at all, just from the gossip rags, you know."

"Right. Well, rehearsals start next week. Excited?"

Elena relaxed and smiled brightly. "Sure am. I looked over the script and had a few questions."

Alaric returned her smile. "I'm sure you do. Let's get to it."

Elena pulled the script out of her bag and they set to work. Her mind, though, kept creeping back to those sardonic pair of ice blue eyes that looked like they wanted to cut her dead. Was he going to be a problem? She was more used to the other problem of actors or directors wanting to date her or propositioning her outright. A temper tantrum from a star actually sounded kind of refreshing.

Her thoughts and feelings about him squared away, she turned her attention back to the director and the script in front of her.

This was going to be a piece of cake.

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><p>AN: Please read and review.<p> 


	2. A Place at the Table

**Chapter Two**

Elena squared her shoulders and prepared herself to walk into the rehearsal room. She could already hear the voices coming through the door, loud and boisterous, the happy sounds of people who have worked together many times before reuniting once again. She didn't hear Damon's voice though, but that didn't mean he wasn't there. She had to be ready for anything.

She dressed carefully that morning, white-button down and skinny blue jeans with converse sneakers. She wanted everyone to know she was there to work. She wasn't just some daytime TV dilettante who was afraid of breaking a nail. She was a real actress, trained at Julliard, she shouldn't feel intimidated by all these stars.

But she did. She'd never made a movie before, other than student films. What if it was a totally different process and she made a fool of herself? In front of him?

She took a deep, cleansing breath like her yoga teacher taught her to do, and tried to calm her mind. Alaric was on her side; he'd help her through it. And she was a professional, she could figure it out. It wasn't rocket science. It was an action movie.

Before she lost her nerve she palmed open the door and entered. Tables and chairs were set up in a big square so everyone faced each other. Each place had a name card, Elena found hers and was relieved to see she wasn't sitting next to Damon but instead his brother Stefan Salvatore and a woman named Caroline Forbes. Neither was at their place, but she knew enough, at least, about Stefan to be grateful to Ric for the assigned seating.

Stefan Salvatore was Hollywood's favorite gay actor. He had been accepted and celebrated like Rock Hudson should have been in his day, and other than losing the occasional role of romantic lead to a more hetero counterpart, he enjoyed a fame almost as great as his brother's. In this movie he played the evil Dr. Pavel Wasilewski, the notorious Polish scientist who is out to kill our heroes, secret agents Nina and Ian, to gain secrets to obtaining a dirty bomb. She heard his laughter emanating from the craft table and she turned to see him just as he spotted her.

He was surrounded by most of the rest of the cast and crew, so when he shouted out, "Our leading lady has arrived!" everyone turned as one to her. He smiled a wide smile that reminded her of Damon's but was far kinder. He walked over to her and stuck out a hand.

"Welcome pretty Elena to our little movie," he said with a flourish. "I'm Stefan Salvatore."

Like he needed an introduction, Elena thought, and returned his handshake. "Happy to be here," she replied with a smile nearly as big as his own.

Stefan introduced her to the rest of the group. She was relieved to not spot Damon. That reunion she'd rather put off as long as possible.

There was Caroline Forbes, a vivacious blonde bombshell who played an unnamed spy who was brutally murdered in the first scene. She met Tyler Lockwood, Stefan's partner and bit-part player; Matt Donovan, Stefan's long-time stuntman; and Bonnie Bennet, the movie's makeup artist. They were all old friends and had worked together on several movies.

Soon Matt had her laughing hysterically over his impersonation of what Stefan looked like when he tried to salsa dance. They were all doubled over, Stefan included, when they heard a slow, solitary clap coming from the entrance.

They all stopped abruptly and turned in unison towards the door, like guilty children caught in the act.

Damon stood in the doorway, still clapping, messenger bag slung over one shoulder, a humorless grin defining his face. Beside him, Ric, ear plastered to his phone gave him a dirty look, but didn't interrupt his phone conversation.

"Well, I see we've all met the daytime princess and star of our movie." Damon moved into the room and threw his bag on the table.

Suddenly everyone broke apart and headed to his or her seats, further proof of their apparent guilt.

Damon sat across from Elena and glared at her as he chewed on a plastic straw. Elena tried to ignore him and started up a side conversation with Caroline about the first scene, but it was hard to keep her concentration with him staring at her like he was sure she was an escaped convict.

The tension was thick in the room and everyone knew it. The cast and crew, used to Damon's moods, took it in stride knowing once he got busy he usually became more agreeable. But there was no denying his new co-star rubbed him the wrong way.

Finally Ric broke the ice by beginning the read-through. Elena was happy to settle down and get to work.

Occasionally she snuck looks at Damon during the run-through. As much as he seemed like an entitled asshole, when he was working he transformed into a total pro. He was conscious of the other actor's work and did his best to get his star power out of the way and let the other person shine.

She had seen it in his movies as well. He had a way of being a star and an ensemble player all at the same time. Not an easy thing to pull off. She tried to remember what she knew of his personal life. Never been married, linked to one model or another until he met Katherine Petrova, who, in an interesting twist was dating his brother before he came out of the closet. They had been dating for a few years, but Elena couldn't remember ever hearing of wedding plans.

Wait. Why on earth was she speculating on Damon's private life? The man was clearly an egomaniac and too good-looking for his own good. 'He's got dem eyes', her mother would have said, quoting Moonstruck. They were not ocean blue, too icy for that. What kind of blue were they?

"Ms. Gilbert."

She jumped a little in her seat to see a PA asking her if she was ready for lunch. She nodded, grabbed her purse and headed for the restroom where she planned on either splashing her face with cold water or slitting her wrists. She had to stop thinking about Damon.

This was probably all part of his elaborate plan to drive her nuts.

After lunch they read through the script one more time and eventually got to their feet to run through some of the blocking.

"K, Elena. Now here is where you meet Ian for the first time. He's just almost been killed by an unseen sniper and you appear moments later. He's suspicious of you, but you've got to convince him you're in as much danger as he is, ok?" Ric retreated to his folding chair to watch the scene.

They took their places and began.

"Action!" Ric yelled.

_Nina: Are you ok?_

_(Nina kneels down to check on a prone Ian.)_

_Ian: Are you insane? Duck down, there's a sniper on the loose. _

_(Ian grabs Nina's arm and pulls her down to a crouching position). _

Elena's arm tingled a little where he touched it and she rubbed it like it was a pain she was trying to smooth away.

_Ian: You must have seen him. You came from that direction. _

_(His eyes search hers but Nina gives nothing away.)_

_Nina: I didn't see anything. _

"Cut!" Ric called out. "Elena that was perfect with the arm rubbing. We're getting a real sense of the chemistry right from the get- go." He turned to his assistant. "Jot that down. Want to make sure we get that on camera."

Ric continued to give notes and Elena tried to listen but she could feel Damon staring at her. Finally she turned around and hissed, "What?"

He was giving her a curious look, like he couldn't decide what to think of her.

"Nothing," he said then looked back at Ric.

She turned back around as well, her long hair flipping around in it's ponytail like a horse's mane.

Damon's gaze immediately traveled back to her backside, taking in a good long look at her curves. She had plenty of them, that was for sure.

He trained his eyes elsewhere. She was a co-worker, plain and simple. He had a girlfriend and Elena Gilbert looked like she stacked used men on the side of her bed to use as a bookshelf.

His eyes returned to her and immediately fell to her tight, round ass taunting him in dark denim. Did she have to be just his type? Did she have to be that beautiful, and apparently a gifted actress as well?

He closed his eyes in momentary defeat. He knew she was beautiful before. But now he knew she was dangerous.

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><p>AN1:A little awkward with the formatting of the script, but it's all I have at my disposal. Let me know if it isn't clear what's happening.<p>

AN2: Please read and review. It makes me happy deep down in a special place. No, not THERE, perv. Jeez.


	3. Sometimes a box is just a box

**Chapter Three**

"I'm nervous," she told Bonnie in her trailer as layers of brown grease paint were applied to her skin to make her look like she had been dragged through mud.

"Why?" Bonnie replied, streaking her arm with the paint. "It's sort of like when Morgan kidnapped you and sent you to live in that harem in Saudi Arabia, right?"

Elena smiled. It was a surprise to find out that a good portion of the cast watched her soap opera, but it was downright shocking to find out her makeup artist was a rabid fan and had been watching the show since she was a kid.

"I mean, it's bigger budget." Bonnie laughed. "Remember when you broke down that wall and it just sort of collapsed because it was such a crappy set?"

Elena chuckled. "No, Bonnie. Clearly that was my Hulk-like strength." She bent over, per Bonnie's hand gesture and threw her hair over her head so grime could be applied to her neck and back.

Meeting Bonnie had been one of the best things that had happened to her lately. The two were quickly becoming the best of friends. Bonnie had even stayed over at Elena's place a few days ago where they discovered a shared passion for cheap wine coolers and old John Hughes movies.

Elena was more grateful than she could say for Bonnie's friendship. In her two years in LA, she hadn't made one decent friend. All she did was work, work, work. Film work, while it was very demanding, at least had a shelf life. Daytime TV, however, was the Twinkie of entertainment work. Never spoiled. Lasted forever.

The cast and crew of the soap had been nice, but they had been together for over 20 years, so she would always be a relative newcomer on set. She knew she was one head injury or coma away from them not caring about her anymore. And the little time she had spent on other sets made it pretty clear, this group, with Stefan at the helm, was unique.

Even Damon seemed to have mellowed. He wasn't too chit-chatty, but he no longer shot her dirty looks the second the scene was called. He seemed to respect her as an actor, which was more than she had hoped for even in the best-case scenario. Today, though, was another test. It was the first day of shooting and they were skipping ahead in the script to the scene where Ian and Nina are trapped together in a wooden packing crate. Elena was nervous about being so close to her famous co-star, although she was trying hard to convince herself it was because he was scary, not because of his intense blue eyes or his broad shoulders or the way he smelled. She just needed to be a professional and work with what she had.

A knock on the door interrupted her reverie. Instead of a PA calling places, it was Stefan and Tyler.

"We thought we'd come escort you to your first scene," a smiling Stefan said. He was impeccably dressed in a three-piece gray pinstripe suit complete with a bowler and a cane. Tyler was dressed as a deck-hand.

"Nice outfit," Elena teased. They all began walking towards the set.

"Yes, I'm an evil genius AND a dandy. Big improvement, after that last fiasco." Stefan's last film, which went straight to DVD, cast him as a drug-addicted gigolo in 1970's New York.

"I dunno. I thought you looked really good in hot pants."

"Shut up," he said good-naturedly. "At least I get to wear real clothes on my movies. Didn't you spend six months in a hospital dressing gown on 'Love of our Lives'"?

Elena hung her head in mock shame. "I was pregnant and schizophrenic from the bad drugs my boyfriend gave me. What do you expect?"

They arrived at the set just as Matt was being fitted into a harness for a stunt at the end of the scene. He waved and smiled at Elena as he put his hands up for the fitting.

Elena blushed and smiled back. Bonnie told her a few days ago that Matt had a crush on her. He was really cute. He was also down-to-earth and from a small town like herself. He might also be a bit boring. But it was worth finding out. She hadn't had a date in so long, she wasn't sure how she would react if he asked her out. Playing it cool wasn't an option. She was too spastic and nervous in those kinds of situations to be suave. She'd just have to be herself. Whoever that was.

"Places," she heard a PA call and she dutifully moved towards the wood box that would serve as the set for the next 24 to 48 hours.

Elena took a deep breath and moved into place. Tight, enclosed spaces were not her favorite. She'd been in the car when her parents died, trapped in the backseat, until a Good Samaritan pulled her out. She'd had nightmares for years about being trapped back in the car, but after years of therapy she could handle elevators and cramped spaces. She hoped she could handle this. She could feel herself starting to sweat. Bonnie would be pissed if she had to reapply makeup. She willed her rushing heart to calm.

"You ok?" Damon's face popped into view over the rim of the crate. "You're very pale. Are you claustrophobic?" He looked concerned and, for the first time, not irritated with her. She was grateful.

"I'll be ok. Just adjusting." She pulled at her dirty tank top.

"Ok," he said, rolling his eyes, not believing a word she said. He climbed in next to her and crouched down in the same position.

She closed her eyes and breathed in deep, taking in a lungful of air but also the spicy, earthy scent of the man beside her. Perhaps here was her antidote to claustrophobia, because suddenly she was no longer aware of her surroundings. Instead, every sense was full of Damon. He was pressed thigh-to-thigh and arm-to-arm with her and she felt like she could feel every ripple of his muscles.

Damon too, was hyper-aware of her proximity, but in a much more noticeable way. He was relieved he didn't have to stand up at that moment, as it would be impossible to hide his reaction to her. Even painted and streaked with dirt she was gorgeous.

Girlfriend. Girlfriend. He kept repeating that mantra to himself until Ric appeared, hunched over the box, with a PA.

"You two ok in there?"

"Yep," they both replied in unison and smiled at each other until Damon scowled and looked away. He had to remember that he didn't like her, but right now he couldn't remember why.

"Let's just shoot without another run-through and see what happens."

They both nodded and took their places.

"Quiet on the set!"

"Action!"

_Ian and Nina both wake up at the same time in a very small wooden box with air holes, no bigger than a refrigerator box. Ian's wrapped tightly around Nina and there is an awkward moment where they feel the chemistry sparking between them. Ian disengages himself first and tries to compose himself while he checks the box for an escape._

_Nina: Anything? (she holds her head where she has been hit)_

_Ian: (looking out a hole) Looks like we're on a ship. (he bangs on various surfaces of the box) This thing is solid. We aren't going anywhere._

_Nina: (starting to panic) I can't be in a box like this!_

Elena let acting slide and let her real panic show through. She hated enclosed spaces.

_Ian: Shush, come here. (Ian takes Nina in his arms and strokes her hair, calming her. She relaxes a bit)_

Elena tries to relax but is too aware of him and his overpowering maleness.

_Nina: Where are we going, you think?_

_Ian: Someplace warm. Feel the salt water air and see the direction of the sun? I'm betting we're in the Indian Ocean heading west._

_Nina: Wha? How can you know that? Oh my God, I can't stay in here or go to the South Seas! I have work! Obligations! (Nina starts to panic again and Ian pulls her around to him and shakes her)_

_Ian: Sweetheart! This is where you are, so buck up and take it like a man! (Ian's eyes sweep over her delicate features, his eyes fixating on her mouth. He knew the one thing she wasn't was a man)_

_(Nina, inches from Ian parts her lips and wets them with the tip of her tongue.)_

_(Ian groans and moves in for the kiss)_

Damon, rock hard and senses on fire, realized with a defeating hand-of-God-smite-to-his-brain that he wanted this girl. Badly. Elena's eyes grew so wide they look like a deer's caught in headlights. Her dirty hair framed her pretty face and he could feel her breath on his face, sweet and fruity. Their lips almost touched before they heard Ric call out "Cut! That was beautiful. We'll do it once more at a different angle before we get Matt in."

Damon and Elena jumped back from each other as if the other one was on fire. Chests heaving, they averted their gaze from one another both thinking the same thought: we have to do that again?

The buzz around them grew, but Elena wasn't sure if it was the roaring sound in her head or the movement of the crew around her setting up for a new angle.

What was happening to her? She had never reacted this way to another actor in a scene, and daytime TV was known for its hunks. She had a fair share of on-screen kisses, but this wasn't like anything she had ever experienced. Was it just his star power and charisma? Or was it him?

They repeated the scene and the heat between them intensified. This time their lips almost touched and Elena could feel the spark ignite between them. She thought he felt it too, but as soon as the scene was called he broke away and pulled out his cell phone, walking towards the edge of the sound stage to make way for the stunt man.

Matt, strapped in a harness under his clothes, climbed in the box next to her.

"Hey," he said adjusting himself.

"Hey," she repeated and smiled shyly. This was the kind of guy she should be attracted to. Sweet, sincere, funny: all the qualities she looked for in a man. But when the scene started he took and he leaned in for the near-kiss Elena only felt a loss that she was unable to articulate. Matt was looking at her though like she was the love of his life and with no cameras trained on his face, she knew he wasn't acting.

She was relieved when the top of the box was savagely ripped off and Matt/Ian was torn from her grasp by a giant crane and she could hear Stefan/Pavel's evil laughter in the distance.

Damon, watching from the director's chair could only see Matt's face during the scene, could only see the same lust and desire imprinted on it that he had on his own. His blood immediately rose into a boil and at that moment he hated her. For one second he thought there was something real between them. But it was clear she made many other men feel that way too.

She was a player. Fine, thought Damon. I can play too.

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><p>AN: You likey? Please review and let me know.<p> 


	4. Ding Dong, the Witch is Dead

**Chapter 4**

"Action!"

_Ian is strapped to a broken chair in a filthy basement somewhere in Eastern Europe. His face is bloody and his clothes are ripped. He is being savagely beaten by two thugs and is watched across the room by Dr. Pavel Wasilewski._

_Pavel: Enough! (He holds up a hand to stop the thugs from another blow). Let's see if our visitor finally has any information for me on the whereabouts of an important suitcase, a suitcase that was left in his care not two weeks ago. (Pavel rises and crosses to the severely beaten Ian and slaps him awake). Where is the suitcase Mr. Somerhalder?_

_(Ian whispers something that Pavel can't hear. He leans in and the camera bears down on both of them._

_Ian: I think I left it up your ass._

_(Pavel, face red with fury, slaps him hard, then backs away trying to compose himself)_

_Pavel: Perhaps our visitor needs a little more convincing. (He wipes off the blood on his hands and replaces his handkerchief). Bring out the girl._

_Ian: No!_

_(The thugs leave momentarily and drag a reluctant Nina into the room and remove the burlap sack from her head. Ian is grateful to see she is frightened but unharmed.)_

_Ian: Let her go! I'll tell you what you need to know!_

_Pavel: (laughing) Oh, it's too late for that my friend. Now she will suffer as you have suffered, perhaps worse._

_(Nina is tied to a beam and her tank top is ripped from her body leaving her in only a skimpy white cotton bra)._

Damon tried to remain professional and shift his eyes away from her heaving chest but it wasn't possible. How could such a petite girl have such a large rack? He trained his eyes on her face and concentrated again on his acting partner's shame and pain.

_Ian: No!_

_(The thugs begin beating Nina. Cut to Ian's face, twisted with rage and grief and the sounds of the doctor laughing in the background)_

"And...cut!"

Damon popped out of his ropes and sauntered over to Elena.

"Good scene," he said, his eyes roaming her exposed flesh. It was wrong, but he couldn't help himself. She was just so delectable, all trussed up and vunerable.

"Thanks, um, can you untie me?"

"Sure." Damon stepped close to her and untied the ropes holding her bound arms. When they released she fell in a heap in his arms.

"Oh sorry," she murmurred, trying to right herself. She pushed on his chest and straightened up.

Damon tried to pretend he did not just feel her soft breasts against his chest, or how smooth the skin on her arms were.

They stood awkwardly staring at each other, the outside world lost to them. The conversation between them was silent, but spoke volumes. Without uttering a word he told her that he thought she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, how he was amazed by her, by her talent, by her dedication. But more than that, he told her that he wanted her. That there was something between them that was not professional, was not scripted or set down in any sort of orderly way. It was an explosion of passion that only needed the right spark in the right place.

She answered him, mirroring everything he didn't say in her eyes, like how much she wanted him as a man, not as a movie star or someone powerful and bigger than life. Her eyes trailed to his shoulders and she missed that brief moment when she clung to them, wishing she could touch them again.

When he finally spoke it was what he always said to her at the end of the scene, but it did nothing to break the spell they had between them.

"Good scene," he whispered.

"Thanks," she replied, clenching her fists at her side, trying to keep herself from reaching out for him.

Damon, who had been trying for weeks of shooting to stay away from her and her charms, knew he weakening. Every moment he spent with her he felt himself falling hard. No amount of ignoring her helped. He could hear her across the set laughing with Bonnie and Stefan and each time it made him tense up. He couldn't bear to watch her talk to Matt and did everything in his power to make sure they were never alone together. He was starting to feel like a jealous boyfriend, a feeling he had no right to have. But he couldn't bear to see her flirting with anyone else. Those feelings were not the proper co-star or even friendly feelings to have. Those feelings were jealousy and rage.

It didn't help that Katherine was out of the country on a shoot of her own. He hadn't talked to her in weeks as she liked to go incommunicado on sets, immersing herself in her work, inhabiting her character. Damon could never figure out if that was true, that she was that dedicated and Method-oriented about her work, or if she just wanted time to herself.

As if summoned by his thoughts, his moment in Elena's sun was clouded by a screech from the back of the set.

"Where's Damon?"

Damon turned to the sound and saw Katherine pushing her way through the set to him, throwing off the arm of a PA who was trying to stop her.

"I'm his girlfriend dammit! Let go of me! I have a right to be here!"

Katherine wrung herself from the PA's grasp and marched onto the set, in a moment taking in the tableau of Damon and Elena standing a little too close to each other and sizing up the situation accurately.

She gave Elena a look up and down, judging her on her outfit like it was something she would wear in regular life. "Oh hi," she said sugar-sweetly. "You must be Elena. Stefan's told me so much about you." The way she said it made it clear Damon had never mentioned his beautiful co-star.

"Nice to meet…" she was cut off on her introduction as Katherine turned abruptly to Damon and threw her arms around his neck. "Oh my God, I've missed you so much! Mexico was awful. All I did was sweat for two weeks straight! And the food, oh my God, I can't tell you how much I wanted a cappuccino and a proper croissant! Can you take me out for dinner tonight? I know this place in Santa Monica that is getting all this buzz!" She took Damon by the arm and led him away from the set. Damon didn't look back.

Elena, stood, frozen in place for a moment, until a set construction guy told her he had to strike the set. She moved off the set towards the dressing room when Stefan fell into place beside her. He smiled at her gently and she got the impression he had just witnessed everything that had just happened but was too nice a person to bring it up.

"So, we're having cast party tonight at my house if you're interested," he said casually.

"Oh? I thought cast parties were for the end of the shoot."

"Well, we're a happy bunch. We have lots of parties. Especially since you and Damon are heading out tomorrow for Bali and leaving the rest of us in boring ol' LA. God! I wish I could get stranded on a desert island sometime!"

Elena had almost forgotten about the impending trip. A skeleton crew was traveling to the South Seas to film the couple's escape and re-capture on an island. It was also when they would film the sex scene that Elena had been trying to for the length of the shoot to put out of her mind.

"A party sounds great."

"Perfect. See you around nine." Stefan walked off just as Matt walked around the corner of her trailer.

Matt waved frantically to her. "Hi there! I was just looking for you!"

* * *

><p>Elena smoothed the shiny fabric down trying to cover a bit more of her legs. The red spaghetti-strapped mini-dress seemed like a good idea when she was getting dressed, but now she felt too exposed, like she had left the house in her underwear.<p>

She'd picked it out for a few reasons, and maybe a few more that barely registered on her subconscious. One, it was the first date she'd had in years and she wanted to look fabulous. What girl wouldn't. Two, well, two started to fall into that best-not-think-about-it category of not being intimidated by Katherine sprinkled with a heavy dose of hoping-Damon-noticed-her.

She shouldn't have worried because when she and Matt arrived at the party, the famous couple wasn't present.

"I think they went out with Katherine's friends," Stefan said, unprompted when he took her jacket. He whistled at her outfit. "And my, look what's he's missing. Well, that means I get you all to myself."

"Hey, what about me?" Matt said from behind him as they walked towards the patio. "She's not even your type!"

Stefan turned to him but kept Elena's arm tightly in his. "So true, my dear Matt. It is one of those times I wish I swung both ways, but ce la vie!"

He released her and she went to Stan awkwardly by Matt. The patio was full of people, both in and out of the pool. Caroline was being chatted up by Klaus, one of the movie's producers. The way she had her arms crossed in front of her chest made Elena think he wasn't having too much success in the pickup. Bonnie was sitting on the diving board with her boyfriend Luca and she waved madly when she saw Elena.

"You brought a swimsuit, right?"

"No," Elena said, walking up to her. "I didn't realize it was Beach-Blanket-Bingo party."

Bonnie rolled her eyes. "All of Stefan's parties are Beach Blanket Bingo. We should have told you. Oh well. Anyway, you look great." She spied Matt over Elena's shoulder. "Are you here with Matt? Oh my God! Tell me!"

It was Luca's turn to roll his eyes and disengage himself from Bonnie's embrace. "I think I will leave you two girlfriends to gossip and gush and I'll be manly and get another beer. Elena?" He offered and she nodded yes, a beer would be great. He walked towards the keg and the grill area, where Stefan was in an apron demonstrating to everyone the best way to flip a steak with your fingers.

"You know, I took Stefan for more of the sipping-Manhattans-around-a-fireplace-kind-of-guy, not a grill-meister."

"He's funny that way. Listen, before Matt comes over. What happened with Damon today?"

Elena broke eye contact, looking into the pool. "What do you mean?"

"Tyler said you guys were making major googly-eyes at each other before the Ice Queen showed up."

"No, we were just rehearsing the scene."

Bonnie raised an eyebrow. "Uh huh. Sure."

Elena blushed and looked back at her friend. "Ice Queen, huh?"

"One thing you should know, everyone hates her. She's so bad for Damon. He would be a halfway nice guy except she tries to poison every well he steps to. Ugh." Bonnie shivered as if remembering a bad dream. "I wish he could meet someone nice."

Elena didn't respond. Her face was burning and the need to get up and run out of the room was almost over-powering. Why did every mention of Damon cause some kind of physical reaction in her? He was sexy, for sure. And talented. And…Oh God, Elena, she thought, get over it. He has a girlfriend and it's likely you would be the last woman he'd be with anyway. She also needed to remember she was on a date with a very nice guy who didn't deserve to have the woman he escorted pining after someone else.

Matt walked up to the two girls and plopped down on the diving board. "Fifty bucks says Stefan burns his fingers like he did last time."

"Sucker's bet," Bonnie replied and got off the board. Just then, they heard Stefan yell and back away from the grill.

"What an idiot," Bonnie said with a sigh. "I'll go get the burn cream. Really, we gotta tell him to cut this out."

Elena watched with amusement as Bonnie played nurse to a wounded Stefan, who howled and moaned in such pain you'd think he had impaled himself on a stake instead of just flipping one.

"What an idiot." Elena heard repeated behind her and she saw Damon standing there with Katherine beside him, looking every bit the Ice Queen in a blue sequined cut-down-to-there top, tight white jeans and silver platform stilletos.

"I can't believe I dated that guy," Katherine said. "Where's the bar?" Without another word she took off for the far side of the patio.

Damon wasn't left alone for long. Within minutes a bevy of beautiful young women had surrounded him, all making it perfectly clear they'd love to take Katherine's place. Elena saw Damon smile politely at them, but he kept craning his neck around, looking like he was looking for someone.

Then he spotted her and she realized he had been looking for her. A ghost of a smile appeared on his face before he spotted her companion, Matt, sitting a little too close to her, chatting and smiling, oblivious that his date's eyes were glued to someone else.

She saw the mask of fury descend, the slow, creeping, cold seep into his eyes. His gaze traveled over her hungrily, taking in the micro-mini dress, her long legs draped over the diving board, and the heat she saw in them was blazing, but lacked warmth. He was pissed she was here with someone else.

Which didn't make any sense, she thought, looking away. Wasn't he here with his girlfriend? She met his gaze again, hers as stony as his. Her chin lifted slightly in defiance. Whatever was going on with him, with them, had to stop. It was bordering on inappropriate, and Elena Gilbert was never inappropriate.

With a snort of disgust he looked away, the spell between them broken. Elena turned her attention back to Matt, trying to control her ragged breathing and beating heart.

There, she thought. That's that. We'll be co-workers again, distant, but polite. It's better this way.

She tried to ignore the heaviness of her heart as she saw Katherine come back and shoo his admirer's away. She clung to his arm and kissed him wetly on the lips.

He didn't look Elena's way again.

* * *

><p>AN1: Oh, the pain, the angst! You know what I like best about writing this? Writing the script for the movie. It's just as cheesy and cliche as I can make it, and man it's refreshing to just write that stuff and get it out of my system. I'm assuming said movie is NOT an Oscar contender.<p>

AN2: Here is your daily reminder to read and review. Thank you for your time.


	5. War is Hell

**Chapter Five**

Day three, Elena thought. Only four more to go. She looked around the trailer and thought, I could be anywhere. Movie set trailers all look the same. But she wasn't in just any old place, she was in Bali, probably the most beautiful place on earth.

Too bad she was so miserable.

Three days of shooting that hadn't gone well. That was the glass half-full look at it. As Ric put it, they were in a "shit storm."

The shit storm had a name. Said shit storm had been holed up in his trailer for the past 24 hours, refusing to come out and film another scene. Ric was pulling his hair out trying to get him to cooperate. Begging, pleading, threatening to sue him for breach of contract, all of these things were lobbed against the stony wall of Damon Salvatore's countenance, and all to no avail. Ric even got Damon's mother on the phone, whom he refused to talk to, although he shouted "No offense Ma!" into the phone when Ric held it up.

It hadn't gone well from the start. The day after the party, Ric informed Damon that Katherine was not welcome on the trip, although he'd be bringing along his wife Jenna. Katherine, he explained patiently to a skeptical Damon, was too high maintenance, and he wanted Damon focused on the work, not Katherine's needs. When Damon suggested maybe the same could apply to Ric's wife, Ric laughed a little too loudly and said Jenna was a costume designer and a team player. She would help not hinder.

Apparently tensions around Damon's relationship had been brewing for some time because by the time they made it to Bali (sans Katherine) they were engaged in a full scale war. Elena had never seen anything like it. She'd heard about temperamental actors and controlling directors before, but never had she seen two people go at each other the way they did. Damon accused Ric of being "pussy-whipped" and Ric responded that Damon was merely sloppy seconds for Katherine, Stefan being her one true love.

After that, Damon retreated to his trailer and refused to speak to anyone. Elena felt bad for him. It seemed like a terrible thing to say to someone, even if it was true. She wished she could talk to him, but he treated her no better than he did Ric, so she steered clear of him.

So far they had only managed to film the scene where they swim towards shore and Damon pulls an almost drowned Elena from the surf. They had to film it ten times before Ric finally called it a day and they tried again the next day.

The next day was no better. They filmed it another seven times before the explosion happened between Ric and Damon. It began when Ric expressed frustration that Damon would not hold Elena in his arms properly when he tries to revive her.

"You aren't holding her close enough. I need to see some intimacy brewing. In the next scene you make love! I need to see the tension building."

"Okay, okay," Damon replied for the umpteenth time as he tried to supply tension into the scene. But it was the wrong kind of tension. Instead of UST (Unresolved Sexual Tension) it was frustration and fury. Elena could tell he was trying to be professional, but each time he dragged her unconscious from the surf and tried to shake her awake, he would balk and his hands would clench up at his sides and he would grit his teeth and growl softly. Then he'd blurt out some curse word, stomp off to the trailer and they would try the scene again in an hour, which eventually stretched into a full day.

And now, he refused to come out of his trailer and had locked the door against anyone coming in.

Elena was summoned to Ric's trailer that was serving as a war room while they tried to figure out what to do with Damon.

Jenna let her in and held a finger to her lips, gesturing to Ric who was on the phone with one of the producers. She wasn't sure which one it was, but everyone knew all of the siblings at Original Pictures were hard to deal with. Ric kept nodding like the other person could see him and saying "Yes, I see." Jenna gestured for Elena to sit on one of the couches. She reached in the mini-fridge and handed her a beer.

"Might as well relax a bit, nothing else getting done today," she whispered and settled down next to Elena with her own beer. They watched Ric nod some more.

Elena smiled at Jenna. She had only met Ric's wife a few days ago, but already she liked her. She exuded the same no-nonsense self-confidence that Ric did, and Elena could see how they could be together for going on 15 years. They had two kids, left behind in LA with Jenna's mom, so the time in Bali was supposed to be part work/part second honeymoon. Instead it was turning out to be a never-ending nightmare.

"You should talk to him," Jenna said quietly, her eyes still fixed on Ric, who was now pacing the length of the trailer, stepping over their feet each time he passed by.

Elena looked at her horrified, her beer hand frozen in the air on the way to her mouth. "Wha? No. No way."

Jenna turned to her, tucking her knees under her on the couch. "Listen. I've known Damon for a long time and I've never seen him like this. I don't know if this really is about Katherine or something else, but Ric isn't able to get through to him. This shoot is going way over budget and Ric is getting left holding the bag. I mean, look at the poor guy." They watched him rub his eyes and drop his head onto the door jam in defeat, still mumbling into the phone.

"I guess I could talk to him..." Elena said softly. What she would say she had no idea. They had never had a civil conversation about anything other than work, and even those were fraught with emotional landmines.

As if reading her thoughts, Jenna said, "Talk to him about the work. You can always appeal to Damon's work ethic which is strong, regardless of the present situation."

"Ok, I'll try." She gave Jenna a brave smile and took another sip of beer.

Dear God, help me, she thought.

* * *

><p>At first she knocked so softly he didn't hear her. She knocked a little louder ad was rewarded with a "Go the fuck away," from deep inside the trailer.<p>

She tried the door and was surprised to find it open. She cracked it open and let out a timid, "Hello?" before stepping inside.

It was almost pitch black inside, the curtains drawn and the lights off. The only light was from the blinking clock on the microwave, but it was enough to know he wasn't in the front room. He must be in the bedroom.

She started to move in that direction before she stopped herself. Did she really want to be in a bedroom with him? She stopped and called out again, "Damon? It's Elena."

She heard a very loud put-upon sigh from the back of the trailer, then some shuffling noises before the door opened and Damon appeared shirtless in a pair of crumpled jeans with a book in his hand. Elena kept her eyes trained on his face.

"Yes, Elena? Are you here to broker a peace? If so, you can fuck off, along with the Spielberg wanna-be." The light in the room behind him masked his expression, but his tone was clear.

"Or," he said, moving past her into the sitting area, his eyes boring into hers, as if he was as clairvoyant as Jenna, "She put you up to this didn't she? Ugh, she used to be so cool. And now she's just, ugh."

He dropped the book onto the table and she couldn't help but tilt her head to the side to read the title. "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter," by Carson McCullers.

"Good book," she said looking back at him.

He plopped down on one of the couches. "I'm sure you're not here for the book club. What is it?"

"I just wanted to say that I thought Ric was out of line. What he said to you about Katherine. And Stefan." She shifted from one foot to the other unsure about what to do now that she had said her piece.

She thought maybe Damon would see it as an expression of solidarity against an unreasonable director. But it was clear he saw it as a further invasion of his privacy. In the half-second before she knew he was going to blow his top, she wished she could take it back. That she had followed Jenna's suggestion to talk about the work.

He didn't blow up though. He sat staring at her in shock, like it was she who had revealed something horrible.

"How dare you..," he began.

She knew this was her only time to back peddle so she did it fast. "I'm sorry, I know it's none of my business, I shouldn't have.."

"Damn straight. If I wanted your opinion I would have barged into your trailer and asked for it."

She looked at him for a moment and then nodded, guilty as charged. "I'll just go," she said, heading for the door.

He called after her. "You know what your problem is Ms. Elena Gilbert?"

She paused by the door but didn't turn around. Let him get his dig in, she thought, then she'd slink out.

"You're a player. I saw how you have little Matty wrapped around your little finger. Do you have Ric all wrapped up too?"

She turned around then, the color rising in her cheeks along with her anger. "Excuse me?" she said.

"Do all men fall at your feet?"

"Well, obviously not all," she said snidely, gesturing to him with a wave of her hand.

"Yeah, I seem to be the one man immune to your charms." He rose and sauntered up to her, placing a hand on the wall on either side of her head. "How many has it been, Elena. Do you keep track or have you lost count?"

She pushed him away with a growl. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Who is Richard Lockwood? Hm?"

She looked at him like he was crazy. "He was a producer on Love of Our Lives. So?"

"Funny, how a relative unknown managed to snag such a large part right out of drama school."

She crossed her arms and glared at him. "What are you implying?"

"And what about Elijah Hamilton? One of the owners of Original Pictures..is he one of your conquests too? Is that how you've made it so far so fast?"

"I don't know what you are talking about, but I'm starting to get the picture. It..."

He waved a dismissive hand in her direction. "Save it for someone who'll fall for your bullshit Elena." His hand dropped and he stepped nearer to her and for the first time she felt frightened. She knew he wouldn't touch her, but there was something so primal and pure about his anger. It sent warning signals to her brain. But the feminist in her rose up with a loud roar and supplied the courage she needed.

"That's it, Damon," she spat at him. "I've had enough of your drama. You want to talk about who the drama queen is here? It's you! With your blubbering about not being able to take your girlfriend along. Give me a break! We're WORKING. This isn't some holiday. And if it was, you can rest assured you wouldn't be in a 200-mile radius of any vacation I would take! You are the most pig-headed, delusional person I've ever met!" She paused for a breath, suddenly aware of how close he was. Her eyes roved over his shoulders and chest, where a thin sheen of black hair led to a trail that-

Her head snapped up and her eyes met his. His expression was hard, like a face cut into rock, but she could feel the heat coming off him in waves. He glowered at her with his lips set in a stern line.

"Argh!" she cried, throwing up her hands. "I give up!" She turned to the door to leave.

"Ok, sweet cheeks," he said from behind her, "You win. Tell the slave driver I'll be there at 7AM sharp for the call. He better be ready to go. The sooner we finish this, the sooner we can get back to L.A."

And to Katherine, she thought. He must really love her. For some reason the thought depressed her, or maybe it was the letdown after a burst of anger.

"Wonderful," she said in clipped tones. "Looking forward to it." She left with a slam of the trailer door that almost took it off its hinges.

"Me too," he said quietly to himself after she left. He looked around his trailer and was thankful he didn't see a bottle of whiskey lying around. If he didn't have such an early call, he'd definitely be getting wasted right about now.

He poured himself a glass of orange juice instead and sat down at the table heavily, like an old man in an easy chair.

Well, she didn't deny it, he thought. At least she's honest about being a snake. Did he think it would turn out any different? That she might be different? She was just like all the rest of them. He should thank his lucky stars she hadn't turned her attention fully to landing him. He wouldn't stand a chance.

And tomorrow? Tomorrow was going to be one of the hardest days of his life.

Tomorrow he had to make love to Elena Gilbert.

* * *

><p>AN1: Yeah, Damon, good luck with that.<p>

AN2: And now, sadly, I'm done with the pre-written parts, but Chapter Six is already well underway! Look for it in the next day or so.

AN3: Read and review. But of course, if you got this far you already did the reading part. So, in for a penny, etc. Please let me know what you think. It's pathetic, really, but I live for your comments.


	6. Romance Under the Coconut Tree

**Chapter Six**

AN: Rated M for mild smut and also for Mmmmmmm…..

* * *

><p>"I know," Ric said to them in a quiet voice, "that you're both exhausted. It's been a long day and we've gotten a lot of great stuff down, but to get back ahead of the curve we need to go ahead and shoot this next scene. Are you both ready for it?"<p>

They nodded to him, but didn't look to each other for confirmation.

"Ok, take a few minutes then we'll start. You guys all set with modesty patches and so forth? So when the clothes come off there won't be any surprises?"

Again they nodded in agreement and Elena squirmed in her seat a little, as if she was being chafed. It was her first time doing an almost nude scene. Daytime TV was strictly a naked-above-the-shoulders kind of filming. This was going to be much different. She was terrified, but determined not to show it.

"Ten minutes, then places." The three of them broke apart, walking in different directions to prepare for the next scene. Damon went to his trailer, Ric to the hut that served as the director's office, while Elena wandered down the beach and sat under a palm tree.

Ric was right. It had been a long, but productive day. Damon emerged from seclusion at exactly 7AM that morning like nothing had happened. Ric also seemed to take it in stride and soon the two of them were off in directors' chairs chatting about the next scene. Damon's attitude towards Elena, though, was aloof and cold. Which was fine for her, she thought. Might make it easier to get through the next few days if they were nothing but professional with one another.

Inside, though, she was seething. How dare he make assumptions about her character? Especially one based on nothing but rumor and speculation. Because after she got back to her trailer she started wondering where he got his "information" about her and when she figured it out, she laughed out loud. Gossip rags. The Star and TMZ had linked her with both producers, showing pictures of them, that, taken out of context, might have seen like more than it was.

In one, she and Richard were photographed emerging from a restaurant where they had had dinner to discuss the continuation of her contract. Which is all that happened, and on top of that, she was pretty sure he was gay.

Elijah was a little harder to explain, but still, her conscience was totally clear where he was concerned. It wasn't until after she had agreed to do the movie that he asked her out. She politely declined, she knew too much of his past and his family to get involved with him. But they had never gone out on a single date. For Damon to accuse her of sleeping her way to the top was outrageous!

And that he, a media superstar, would actually lend credence to pulp journalism was really the mystifying thing. She knew of news reports that described him as being so obsessed with Marilyn Monroe that he took a regular pilgrimage to her birth place. Or that he took part in same-sex "orgies" with his brother. Ew. And more than that, she knew it was ridiculous. Why would he believe unsubstantiated gossip about Elena?

After leaving his trailer it took everything she had not to burst out into tears. She wasn't sure she had ever missed her mother more than at that moment. Her mother would have known what to say, would have called Damon ridiculous and that he needed to be spanked like a small child. All of this would have gotten her laughing and soon none of it would seem very important. But with the absence of her mother, she lost the one person who could bring her up when she was down.

Elena heard places being called and closed her eyes taking in deep breaths of the fresh sea air. She needed to relax and try and get through it. Soon she'd be finished with the movie and would never have to see Damon Salvatore again.

* * *

><p>"Quiet on the set!"<p>

Ric crouched down next to them and said, "Now I know you two haven't been getting along all that well, none of us have. But now is the time to put it behind us and film a great scene. Try to at least pretend you like each other. Ok?"

Neither Damon or Elena indicated they understood or would comply with his wishes. Each was so wrapped up in keeping their wits about them that neither knew how to respond.

"Ok, well then," Ric took their silence as proof of their dislike of each other. "Try and have some fun."

Fun, yeah right, thought Elena. Like root canal fun.

Damon just gritted his teeth and cracked his knuckles like he was about to start the fight of his life.

"Action! Cue wind machine. Cue rain!"

_(Hurricane-force winds blow our duo to and fro on the beach. They work their way towards each other and clasp hands. He leads her, against the strong winds, into the jungle where they find shelter under some coconut trees. Ian turns Nina to him and screams at her over the wind)_

_Ian: Where were you going? It's dangerous out there!_

_Nina: I couldn't stay here (she begins to cry)_

_Ian: Why? (He wipes a tear from her eye and lifts her chin with his index finger)_

_Nina: Because. It was me that took the suitcase. I'm the double agent! (She bursts into tears)_

_Ian: Hey, you don't think I knew that?_

_Nina: What?_

_Ian: I've known, Nina, for a long time what you were. But that didn't stop me..._

_Nina: Stop you from what?_

_Ian: Stop me from falling in love with you. (Ian kisses Nina softly on the lips)_

Damon leaned in and touched Elena's lips lightly with his own. He growled softly, she moaned, and the kiss deepened.

Then the rest of the world fell away as each explored the other. She tasted like Tic-tacs and her lips were the softest he had ever kissed. He smelled heavenly to her, his musk mixed with the smell of wet, fresh earth.

His tongue snaked into her mouth and as their tongues met and collided he felt his whole body rising up. Up and out of the surroundings, floating on the air itself. He wanted to keep kissing her forever.

"Cut!"

They broke apart suddenly and both turned in unison to Ric.

"My God, that was beautiful! Perfect! Let's try it once more to make sure we've got it!"

Elena and Damon quickly rushed back to their places to begin the scene again, which played out much the same as before, but this time Damon couldn't keep his hands off her and he buried them in her wet hair, pulling her body flush to his.

Every nerve ending sparked and caught fire as she felt the full length of him against her. However much she hated him or he resented her, it was clear they had chemistry. Loads of it.

"Ok, lets move to the firelight sex scene. Is it ready?" Ric shouted across the set, giddy with the progress they were making. "Yes? Great! Let's move people!"

Damon grabbed Elena's hand and led her to the next set. She let herself be led along, too dazed to think for herself. All she knew is that she wanted to be kissing him again, sooner rather than later.

As she watched him undress, reality started to creep back in and she froze watching him with a horrified expression on her face. He came over to her and took her hand again. "Hey, it's ok," he said quietly. "It's just me."

She nodded and peeled off her tank top, bra, and shorts. He took off the rest of his clothes and they got into places without looking at each other. They adjusted the small scraps of fabric covering their private parts and took sips of water offered to them by the PAs. Then they laid down facing each other on a makeshift blanket in the sand and waited for Ric's call to start.

He appeared before them, looming like the Jolly Green Giant straddling a large swath of land. "Change of plans. We're going to start mid-intercourse. Elena, if you could just straddle Damon, we're going to get a grinding shot from behind you. So ride 'em hard cowgirl. But be sure I don't see the patches on your breasts in the front. Ok? Great," he said without waiting for an answer, and moved back to the camera.

Elena took a steading breath and climbed on top of a prone Damon. She lowered herself down slowly and finally met his eyes. His steady gaze did nothing to tamp down on the run-away passion she was experiencing. It didn't help either that he was rock hard beneath her, the modesty patches doing nothing to hide the heat and electricity surging between them. She gasped as she felt his hardness in the cleft between her legs and she looked around to make sure no one else noticed it. Luckily everyone was engrossed in getting the lighting right. Damon steadied Elena with a hand on each hip and with every fiber in his being resisted the urge to push up into her. Her skin was silky beneath his fingertips and he suppressed another urge to explore her curves. He just needed to be patient because in three...two...one...

"Ok. Quiet on the set!"

"Action!" Ric yelled and everything went still.

Damon finally let his hands do what they wanted which was coast up along her sides and across her back. Elena started to ride him, tilting her hips forward and backward in mock lovemaking. She danced a finger along the outline of his lips and he nipped at it, then drew it in and sucked on it. She gasped and nearly leaned down to kiss him before she remembered where they were and what they were doing. She continued her slow grind for the cameras in back of her. She took both of Damon's hands and put them on her barely covered breasts. He kneaded them, locking eyes with her as he matched her rhythm. How he wished this was real!

She closed her eyes and let her head tilt back engrossed in the feel of him beneath her. She had stage-kissed a lot of other actors (her soap character was a road-side prostitute for a season), but she had never experienced anything like this. There wasnt the least bit of acting involved. She wanted him like she had never wanted anything else and damned if she was going to think about anything other than what was going on in the here and now.

In the here and now he was looking at her awestruck, like she was a siren and he was lost at sea. She didn't want to think about whether or not he was just acting. All she knew was that he was hard and she was wet and the rhythm their bodies made together was steady and perfect and she never wanted it to end.

It did end though, stopping and starting through the night to reposition cameras and lights. Neither was aware much of what was going on outside of their own world. With each cut in the action they would freeze and just stare at each other, or they would take a break but both nearly be giddy to get back to places.

Ian made love to Nina all night and Damon and Elena let themselves, for a few brief,shining moments to feel what they wanted to feel without thoughts of tomorrow or what it might really mean.

At the end of the shoot, when the moon was high in the sky, Damon walked Elena back to her trailer and with a kiss on her cheek bid her good night.

The crew, relived the shoot had gone well, popped beer tops and unscrewed tequila bottles in celebration.

Elena crawled under the covers and fell into a deep, dreamless sleep and Damon sat alone in his trailer for hours after, stunned and transformed at what he had experienced that night.

* * *

><p>AN1: There may be tons of typos in here, in my haste to post I did a very poor editing job. Let me know if anything is glaring.<p>

AN2: I started posting on Live Journal, so if you get a chance come on by and say hi. Trixiemcg dot livejournal dot com

AN3: As always, let me know your thoughts and feelings by hitting the Review button.


	7. An Open Door

**Chapter Seven**

Damon Salvatore was whistling.

Whistling and walking along with a bunch of hibiscus flowers in his hand. He was as close to giddy as he had ever been. He was going to court Elena Gilbert.

Three days of filming and three days where he got to hold her in his arms, making fake love to her for the screen and pining away for each night after he escorted her to her trailer. He would give her a caste kiss on the cheek and exit with his customary "Good work today," then he'd leave her and retire to his trailer, where depending on how desperate he felt, relieved himself of his frustrating burden.

He tried not to at first, but spending all day with her in various states of undress was taking its toll on him. Two days ago they "made love" under a spectacular waterfall. He held and kissed her for hours till they were nothing but wrinkly blobs of flesh. A few times he thought he might not be able to hold himself back, the water was, after all, the perfect cover. But she'd know, as she, after all, was the one straddling his erection all day.

So that night, he and his hand became friends again. It made it much more bearable for the next day's shooting which included a playful half-naked chase though the woods followed by him tackling her and peeling off her shorts and...

And damn if just remembering it didn't bring up a huge boner. He stopped and took a couple of deep breaths trying to calm himself. It wouldn't do to show up at her doorway to ask her out on a date with a huge erection. They had enough things to talk about first.

First on the agenda, after telling her how much he liked her, was to tell her that as soon as they got back to L.A. he was going to break up with Katherine and then take her on a proper date. Someplace nice, like Patina. Let her get really dolled up, wait, what if she was not into that kind of scene? That's fine, he thought, we'll go to that Mediterranean place in West Hollywood. We'll hardly be noticed there.

As he approached her trailer he noticed the door was open and he could hear her voice. He didn't hear another voice so he assumed she was on the phone. It wasn't unusual to leave the door open as the weather was stunning and the insides of the trailers were the same depressing shade of beige that they were back in the States. Some of the crew even camped out under the stars. He started up the stairs then paused, listening.

"It's too bad I'm not really attracted to him," she said. "He's cute and all, but really not my type."

* * *

><p>"Hang on," Elena said to Bonnie, "I want to put my ear buds in, reception is terrible." After situating herself, she continued. "I dunno, Bonnie, it's just been a surreal, but incredible experience. I can't believe we have to go back tomorrow."<p>

"Do you think he really likes you?" Bonnie was already thinking up a million questions for Elena after the confession of her crush on her co-star.

"He seems to, I mean other than the erection thing, which is something any guy could have. I mean, it's not everyday you get to make love under a waterfall all day." She paused, remembering, "it's just that he walks me back to my trailer each night, and he never says anything really, other than a compliment on my work, or a comment about a scene, but his eyes..."

"Yes?" Bonnie said breathlessly.

"He looks how I feel, does that sound weird?"

Bonnie just sighed, that contented sound girls make when they hear something romantic.

Elena fanned herself, as talking about Damon always made her a little hot. She got up and opened the front door of the trailer wide, stuck her head out and breathed in deep. "It is so beautiful here," she said moving back into the trailer to the bedroom, "I kinda never want to leave. Except, you know, I miss Mr. Miagi." Elena's old and super cranky cat was being watched over by a neighbor.

"Matt keeps asking about you," Bonnie said.

"Yeah?" Elena said distractedly, fingering the costume Damon had ripped off her the day before.

"He keeps asking me when you'll be back and if you like him and if you do like him, where should he take you for dinner and so forth."

"Uh huh," Elena replied. "He sent me flowers too, out here." She picked up a carrot stick and munched on it.

"He must really, really like you."

"It's too bad I'm not really attracted to him," she said. "He's cute and all, but really not my type."

"Not broody enough?"

"Shut up."

Bonnie giggled.

"I mean, he's nice and has been very sweet to me, but a girl knows when the chemistry isn't there, and it's just not there." Elena heard a noise at the door. "Hang on a sec." Phone still to her ear she went to the front door to investigate, but no one was there. "Back," she said, closing the door. "It's not like a tenth of what I felt just pretending with Damon, Bonnie. He's just so...so..."

"So what? Dreamy?"

"Shut up," Elena told her again. "You're a brat,"

"And you're just now figuring this out?"

* * *

><p>Damon dropped the flowers in a trashcan on the way back to his trailer. Well, I got my answer, he thought. She was just acting.<p>

She was obviously a better actress than he ever imagined.

* * *

><p>Elena smoothed out the white sundress she had put on to meet Damon. She brushed her hair out, applied lip gloss, and looked at herself in the mirror. She'd do. She was nervous, but excited. They were going to leave together for the airport and he had re-arranged his flight to accompany her back to the States. They had a week's break before filming and she was planning on going home to Mystic Falls to see her Uncle John and Aunt Isobel. Damon would fly with her to New York, but then they would part ways.<p>

She knew she was going to miss him and she would have canceled her trip home, but her aunt and uncle had called her weekly to talk about how excited they were she was coming. Plus, she'd see Damon on the set in one week's time. But still, it seemed too long.

She knocked on his trailer door but there was no answer. She asked a passing PA if he had seen Damon. The PA pointed down the beach to two figures sitting under a coconut tree.

She slipped off her sandals and made her way down the beach. Damon appeared to be talking to a young blonde woman, another PA on the shoot. Elena could only see her face and she was laughing and touching his knee. Sharp pain, she recognized as jealousy, pierced her mid-section. Still, he could just be talking to her, probably nothing was going on between them.

Elena walked up and stood in front of them. "Hi," she said to Damon and nodded in the PA's direction.

"Yes?" Damon said flatly. He had on dark sunglasses, but she could read his expression. He was pissed.

"Um, I think it's almost time to go to the airport," she said.

"Yeah, about that. I changed my flight. Decided I wanted to fly back with Missy here." He put a possessive hand on her thigh. Missy giggled and covered his hand with hers.

"Oh," Elena said confused. "I thought - "

"What did you think Elena?" His question was pointed and starkly delivered.

Her eyes shifted to Missy. "Do you think you could give us a minute, Missy?"

Missy looked to Damon for confirmation before nodding and heading off towards the camp. Elena watched her walk up the beach trying to control the riot of emotions running rampant through her mind. If she was the type of person to act impulsively, she wasn't sure whom she would smack first, Damon or his new toy.

"Yes? What did you want to talk about?" He sounded bored, like it was torture for him to be talking to her.

"Well," she sighed through her nose, "we made plans to fly back together. I was just wondering -"

"So? I changed the plans. That's what movie stars do honey."

Elena flinched at his tone. What was wrong with him? How could he go from so loving yesterday back to the asshole he was before?

He paused, studying her, then chuckled, "Wait. Did you...did you think there was something going on between us?"

She said nothing. Just stared at him trying not to burst into tears.

"Sweetheart, how long have you been in the business? You can't tell acting from real life?" He gave an obvious eye roll.

"I thought we were...becoming friends..." She thought it was much more than that but damned if she would admit it to him now.

He whipped off his sunglasses and met her eyes. "Friends? I have enough friends. Great working with you though. You're," he looked her up and down, "a pretty good actress." He stood up and brushed the sand from his jeans. He sauntered down the beach with his hands in his pockets, leaving her standing there, flabbergasted.

What did the manipulative bitch expect? he thought as he walked away from her. Was she going to pretend to be into him some more before tearing him in two like she seemed to do with most men? He could still hear her voice, still hear the words that cut him so deeply...

_"It's too bad I'm not really attracted to him"_

He didn't need another scheming woman in his life, Katherine was enough. He knew he shouldn't have trusted her, her reactions to him. She was everything he despised in women: cold, manipulative, heartless. He couldn't wait for the movie to be over so he'd never have to see her again.

Elena sat on the beach for a long time until the limo driver came out to find her to take her to the airport. She didn't cry, didn't rage. Instead she felt like a piece of her had died. She replayed the conversation over and over in her head and none of it made sense. But she figured one thing out.

As she stared out into the ocean, she finally knew what color Damon's eyes were.

* * *

><p>AN1: I so felt like writing "Angst alert. Run for your lives!" at the start of this chapter. It was a hard chapter to write. Hence the masturbation part to lighten things up.<p>

AN2: Thank you so much for the kind reviews. Its funny, after the last chapter that I was so psyched to put up I received about 2 reviews. I was like, oh, well, maybe people are just tired of reviewing since I bugged them so much about it. Then wham! About 24 hours later a whole bunch hit my inbox. FF musta had a technical issue. So I was relieved to see you all liked it! And so grateful for each and every comment.

AN3: Read and review (See? I never learn)


	8. There Is No Bad Press

**Chapter Eight**

"Why are we here?" Elena whispered to Meredith, her agent, as they sat at a conference table in Ric's office.

Meredith shrugged. "No idea," she mouthed back to Elena.

"And why is he here?" She looked across to Damon who was frowning into his phone, his agent beside him doing the same. He hadn't even acknowledged her presence when she arrived, just looked up then back down into his phone. His agent, Carol Lockwood smiled as warmly as she could, but it ended up just looking like she was in pain. Elena knew Carol was Tyler's mom but she was also known as a barracuda as an agent, and Elena had never felt very safe with her around.

She snuck another look at Damon and felt her heart constrict. It had been two weeks since they had been in Bali. She spent a week in Virginia where she felt like she was in mourning, moping around her aunt and uncle's house until she realized she was lucky he didn't take things any further, because she was finding herself dangerously close to falling for him. If he had decided to try and bed her, she would have been powerless to resist.

So, in a way, he did her a favor and spared them both a lot of frustration and on her part, heartache. Well, at least that was what she told herself in the cold light of day. At night, alone in her big bed, her body told her a different story. The longing was nearly unbearable.

She went back to work the next week with a fake, cheerful smile and tried her best to act like nothing was wrong. Luckily all the sex scenes were over for the time being, so they shot scene after scene of Dr. Pavel in an S.U.V. chasing Nina and Ian down city streets. Damon and Elena still had to spend every working moment together, but didn't have to exchange a word.

It was quiet as a church service in the conference room until Ric breezed in with a stack of papers. He dropped them on the table and looked at everyone seated. His expression was grim.

"I bet you are all wondering why I asked you here today," he said, without a hint of irony. "This stack of papers and magazines contain every negative mention of you all or the movie. "

He reached into his bag and grabbed another smaller sheath of paper and put it on the table next to the larger stack. "This is all the positive press," he said. "We need to turn this around so we don't have another 'Waterworld' on our hands." He was referring to the infamous 1995 movie with Kevin Costner that was crippled by bad press. "Let's face it, we're not making 'Sophie's Choice,' this is an action film, with frankly, a weak script."

He paused, collecting himself before continuing. "We need to get people talking about something else and not focusing on temper tantrums." He looked at Damon, who snorted and looked away. "Take a look at this." He picked up a remote on the conference table and a few moments later a screen lowered from the ceiling and a projector started up.

Suddenly images of Damon and Elena locked in a passionate embrace filled the screen. It was the scene right after he had made her a romantic dinner of roasted muskrat and dandelion greens. He had fed her with his fingers and she practically fellated him as he did it. Elena remembered his eyes right before he grabbed her and kissed her and she could see his expression again on the screen, awestruck and overcome with desire.

Both Elena and Damon shifted in their seats, uncomfortable. Elena felt the spark of desire she had tried so hard to tamper down, start in the pit of her stomach and radiate through all her limbs. Damon felt something, too, but something much different. Seeing her, up there on the screen, the girl he almost-loved, was almost too much for him. Especially since he had been so deceived as to her true nature. He felt sick. He almost asked Ric to turn it off before he did so of his own volition.

"These rushes are just...electric..you two did such an amazing job. I think we need to cut this up for promos."

"And?" Damon said, bored and impatient. He neglected to see how it might affect him.

"I want you two to promote the movie together."

"But we're still shooting," Damon interjected. "We start that when the movie is finished and we're trying to sell it to a distributor."

"Yes, that's the normal way. But I want to start promoting this movie now. I have a magazine photo shoot set up tomorrow. I want you to show them, your fans, some of this heat."

When neither of them said anything he continued, "Then I've you booked for 'Live with Kelly' later on this week. I want the world to see you two together. Get tails wagging."

"Let me get this straight," Damon said, "You basically want us to prostitute ourselves for this movie and deceive our fans that we are in a relationship together. No. No can do. I've never done that and never will."

Elena nodded. For once she was in total agreement with him.

"I'm not asking you to lie Damon. Most people will know you are just co-stars, but come on, heat like this," he gestured to the screen where Elena's head was thrown back and Damon was kissing her neck. "Sex sells." He paused for a moment, and then tried another tack. "You know what doesn't sell? Going over budget. Cheesy dialogue, bad stunts. Girlfriends crashing sets. That doesn't sell anything but gossip mags. We need to sell TICKETS."

Damon glared at him, but then turned to look at Elena. "Are you ok with this?" he asked accusingly, as if she had been working in cahoots with Ric to sell him the idea.

"No, not really," she replied calmly. "But if we just have to appear together for a photo shoot and a TV appearance, I don't see the big difference in whether we do it now or later after the movie is cut." She looked at her agent who nodded in support.

Damon looked like he had a bad taste in his mouth. "Ok, I'll do it. ONE photo shoot and ONE TV appearance before the movie wraps but then I'm out until real promotion starts. With Cannes." The film was set to premiere at the famous festival in the Spring.

Ric smiled a smile he normally reserved for when his two year-old made it in time to the potty. "Now, was that really so hard?"

* * *

><p>Elena held still while more than five hands touched her at once. Her hair was cut and styled, her nails buffed, her legs waxed, and her toenails painted in a frenzy of head-to-toe makeover. She was dressed in nothing but a few strategic oak leaves and left barefoot. She wasn't sure what was going on till she saw Damon in a similar outfit and saw the set, which was a jungle, complete with vines for swinging.<p>

Damon sauntered up to her. "Adam and Eve, or Tarzan and Jane? Which, ya think?" She tried not to look at his naked chest, his almost naked everything, when he asked her the question.

"Adam and Eve maybe," she answered him. "Wouldn't Jane be dressed in petticoats?"

"Good point," he said. While she avoided looking at him, he couldn't take his eyes off her. The oak leaves were stuck like pasties to her breasts, so the entire curve was naked to his eye and the oak leaf thong showcased her ripe rear-end. He was having trouble breathing.

The photographer breezed in the room and suddenly everything sprang into motion.

"Damon!" the photographer said, startling them both. "Let's get you lying down, propped up on your elbows, a little like a Playgirl model, that's right, leg bent a little more...perfect! Ok Elena, come here!"

Elena dutifully walked over to the prone Damon but tried not to look at him lying there, like he had just had hot sex. Preferably with her.

Whoa. Where did that thought come from? She repeated the words 'Consummate Professional' in her head until it stuck. She took her spot over Damon, standing with a foot on his chest, holding an apple.

"Now Damon, glide your hands up and down her leg!" The photographer grabbed the camera from his assistant and started shooting. "Perfect. Elena honey, you look straight at the camera. Damon, you keep your eyes on Elena!"

Not difficult, Damon thought, as he ran his hands up and down her calf and her thigh. Her skin was as silky as he remembered. He tried to keep his eyes trained on her face, but they kept straying to where his hands were, reveling in the soft skin and the tantalizing view of the apex of her legs, where the oak leaf thong could not hide the fact she was almost completely shaven. He shifted a bit and hoped the oak leaf was big enough to hide his reaction to her. Did she shave herself like that, or did they do it? Suddenly he was burning with jealousy with whatever twit got to touch her down there. Gay, female, whatever.

"Ok, that's great! Now Damon stand up, Elena I want you to drape yourself around his back and offer him the apple. That's good!" She wasn't tall enough, so someone supplied a footstool and Elena enveloped him in her arms, offering up the apple. He reached up with his arms and pulled her closer to him, nuzzling her cheek with his lips.

"Perfect! Perfect!" the photographer shouted, but they barely heard him. They had shifted over, were in their own world again. The world where Damon the movie star and Elena the ingénue disappeared to be replaced by two beings who only existed to touch each other and be touched.

She held up the apple closer to his lips, and he suddenly took a big bite out of it, chomping loudly. She giggled and took a bite herself. He turned to her and wiped a stray line of juice from her chin, then took a fingertip and tilted her head back. Grabbing her shoulders, he bit her chin, pulling her flush against him, molding her to every curve on his body.

"Great stuff! Get her a new apple!" Suddenly a fresh apple appeared in her hands and she stuck it in her mouth like a roasted pig. Damon bit the other side so it looked like they were stuck together via the fruit.

"Now Damon, lie down and Elena you crawl on top of him and straddle his waist! That's it. Tease him with a taste of the apple, and a taste of you!"

As she moved into position she remembered this was the first position they had done during the sex scene in Bali. She chanced a glance at him to see if he remembered, but he was talking to the photographer. Here we go again, thought Elena. Remember: Consummate Professional.

Elena sat ramrod straight on top of him, trying her best to avoid straddling him completely and offered him the fruit.

"Tease him!"

She smiled coquettishly and offered him the fruit again. This time he held up an index finger to her and waved no, a smirk plastered on his face. Damn him, he was going to make her work for it.

"Relax Elena!"

Oh, he was so gonna get it. She smiled her most wicked smile, then rocked her hips forward on his and leaned down, showcasing the apple between her equally ripe breasts.

Damon looked momentarily surprised but then grabbed both her breasts and trapping the apple in her cleavage, took another big bite.

"Whoa!" shouted the photographer. "Let's keep this PG-13! It's a family magazine!"

Damon lowered his hands to her waist but didn't stop rocking against her, hitting her center with each upward stroke. The thong had less covering than the modesty patches and he could feel himself sliding between her ass cheeks. He suppressed the urge to squeeze them together around his cock.

"Ungh," Elena moaned involuntarily as her eyes closed. He was hitting her in just the right spot, if he kept it up, they'd be in trouble. Family magazine be damned.

His eyes shot to hers as he heard her moan and he observed her riding him. Was this for real? He waited until her eyes opened a moment later and, for a split second, he saw they were dark and stormy like he imagined his own were.

But when she saw him studying her she looked away quickly, deciding at the last minute to hold the apple over her head like an offering to the gods.

"Ok, that was fabulous! Great work guys!" The photographer handed off the camera to his assistant and disappeared as quickly as he arrived.

Damon and Elena scrambled off each other as fast as they could and headed to their dressing rooms.

Elena couldn't look at him, couldn't bear to see the look of contempt that she knew would be on his face. Why couldn't she just stay professional and unattached when she was with him? Why couldn't she just turn it off? Dear God, she moaned when she was dry humping him! He had treated her so horribly; from the moment she had met him, why did touching him cause such an avalanche of feelings? Why couldn't she treat him like he treated her? Why? Why? Why? She sat at the dressing table and began wiping off makeup, trying not to cry, telling herself he probably didn't even notice she was dry humping him. Dear God, please let him not have noticed!

She jumped at the sound of a knock on the door. Without warning, Damon entered and closed the door, leaning back on it, saying nothing.

She looked at him for a moment, then, without speaking, turned back around, ignoring him. He watched her in the mirror for a few moments before coming to stand behind her.

Pretend he isn't there, she thought. He's a bully. Bullies should be ignored. She finished taking off her makeup and started brushing oak leaves out of her hair.

He stared at her through the mirror for several more minutes until she finally turned back to him, exasperated. "What?" she said.

"I've made a decision."

"Goody for you," she said, and rose, heading towards the dressing screen. If he wasn't going to leave, at least she could get out of costume and leave him here.

He grabbed her arm. "You win," he said to her, teeth gritted together.

"What?"

He didn't give her answer but instead grabbed her by both arms and pulled her against him. Before she could respond, his mouth descended to hers with an all-out assault, his tongue sweeping quickly into her to battle with hers.

She pushed him away as hard as she could. That wasn't a kiss. It was a violation. "What is wrong with you?"

"I thought that's what you wanted," he taunted, his eyes hard and cold. "So, I'm here. Let's do it."

"What are you talking about?"

He sighed dramatically. "I'm tired of your games Elena. You obviously want to add me to your list of conquests so why don't we just get started –"

SMACK! Her palm hit his cheek so hard his head snapped back.

"Get out!" She hissed. "Don't you ever talk to me like that again! I wouldn't touch you with a ten-foot pole, you – you – CREEP!"

For a moment he regarded her, like just maybe he had misjudged her. She certainly seemed pissed enough. Then he remembered who he was dealing with and he just laughed at her. "You know what, forget it. I thought maybe we could have a little rough and tumble, get this tension we have between us resolved the good old-fashioned way. But I guess I'm not playing your little game the way I should. Well, your loss."

He turned on his heel and left, slamming the door behind him.

Elena stood, rooted to the spot where he left her, rubbing her arms, not sure if she would ever recover from what just happened.

* * *

><p>AN1: What a dick, as Ric would say.<p>

AN2: Do you like how I had the photographer speak in exclamations the whole time!

AN3: Hard chapter to write. Hope you all aren't too pissed about the ending, but fear not, it's Delena all the way, I won't leave you hanging too much!

AN4: Please Sir or Madam, may I have a review please?


	9. Charity Loves Company

**Chapter Nine**

"Well, you totally couldn't tell," Bonnie said as she twirled a section of Elena's hair around a curling iron. "I mean, it looked like he was so into you, what with the holding hands and the arm around your shoulder. What's his deal, anyway? Maybe he's got multiple personalities?" She chuckled at the thought.

"Sure seems like it," Elena replied, trying to sound like the conversation wasn't bothering as much as it really was. "Maybe he has other, more likable personalities, like a Suzy-homemaker type."

"Or a car mechanic!" Bonnie laughed and reached for another strand of hair.

Elena grew quiet, only half-listening to her friend's riff on what Damon's new personalities should be. She couldn't stop thinking about what happened during the 'Live with Kelly' show yesterday.

She had shown up early, better, she thought, to prepare herself to see him again. She thought if she could get made up and ready, that she'd only have to see him when they walked onstage. Which is exactly what happened, but the moment they stepped out he grabbed her hand and held it for almost the whole interview! She couldn't figure out a way to take it back without making it seem forced, so she tried to go with it, acting like it was the most natural thing in the world to be holding hands with him. Then, during the cooking segment (Kelly wanted to recreate the roasted muskrat recipe from the movie), he casually draped an arm over her shoulder as he laughed with Kelly about how the "muskrat" was really chicken. As startled as she was by the gesture, she had the hardest time not snaking an arm around his waist and pulling him closer. Her mind was a mass of confusing thoughts and feelings and she could only hope it wasn't readily apparent on the screen. Bonnie said she looked fine and the short conversation she had with Ric afterwards made her feel like everything went ok, but inside she was frozen with fear and furious beyond measure.

As soon as they walked offstage he disappeared as if in a puff of smoke. She had hoped that would be the last she would see of him till shooting began again the following week, but Kelly managed to extract a promise that the two of them would come to her charity benefit the following night. They could hardly say no to disadvantaged kids on TV so they agreed. Actually Elena nodded politely and said yes, but Damon winked at Elena and told her to wear something 'unforgettable.'

Did he mean to humiliate her on national TV? If he did, then he failed, because she shot right back that if he asked for unforgettable, then that was exactly what he was going to get.

Hence, the Bonnie make-over. It turned out that Bonnie was much more than just makeup artist. She dabbled in costume design and when she saw the interview she moved into overdrive, being fairly certain Elena had no such 'unforgettable' outfit. She was ready with a phone call right after the show, ready to assure a hyperventilating Elena that everything would be taken care of.

She finished curling Elena's hair a put the finishing touches on her makeup. She helped her into the burgundy satin dress and gave her the shoes, strappy high heel sandals. A simple gold necklace of daisies adorned her neck accompanied with tear-drop earrings. With her hair curled and in an up-do, she looked elegant but sexy.

Elena looked in the full-length mirror and her mouth dropped open at her reflection. She hardly looked like herself. The dress had wide spaghetti-straps and when she turned around she saw a plunging backline. The dress was fitted at the top but billowed as it descended to the ground. It was a true ball gown.

She felt beautiful.

* * *

><p>Elena settled herself on the far side of the limo from Damon, next to Jenna, who gushed over her dress. Elena smiled as warmly as she could, but couldn't stop glaring at Damon across the seat. He was such a bastard! He had shown up to pick her up and when she answered the door, he took one look at her then turned on his heel and walked back to the car. Didn't she even rate a "Ready to go?" or even, God forbid, "You look great, let's go have a good time?" But there was nothing, nada. Why was he always so angry with her?<p>

She was relieved to see Ric and Jenna in the car as the ride without them would have been pure hell. Jenna handed her a glass of champagne and they talked about the charity event. Ric tried to talk to Damon who stared out of the window the whole time, ignoring him. Eventually Ric gave up and joined their conversation but not before he and Jenna exchanged a look.

When the arrived at the benefit, the paparazzi and fans were thick. As Damon sighed and straightened his tie. Ric said to him, "So you'll escort Elena in?" His voice had an edge of warning to it.

"Yes, yes," he said impatiently then looked to her. "Ready?"

"Guess so," she replied and followed him out of the limo.

The flashbulbs and screams startled her and she stood frozen till she felt Damon gently tug her arm and start walking with her up to the entrance.

"Smile, sweetheart," he said under his breath, and she remembered there was a show to put on. She clutched his arm a little tighter and smiled and waved at all the cameras and people.

"Good Lord," she said without breaking her smile, "How do you handle this?"

He stopped and looked at her, then drew the back of her hand to his lips. "You have to have a beautiful woman by your side, makes it a lot easier." As he kissed her hand the crowd went wild and Elena felt herself blushing from head to toe. What was he up to?

He continued along, pulling her with him to the front door. It was so good to touch her again. He didn't want the night to end. Which was amazing since he hadn't slept in the last two days. He should be dead on his feet.

After the photoshoot and the debacle with Elena, he had gone out and gotten himself good and wasted. He picked a biker bar out of town, where, if he were noticed, the locals would probably give him a pass and not call the press. Which they did, at first leaving him to gaze morosely into his Scotch, before they accurately read his mood and decided he needed some male bonding of the Hells Angels variety. Shots of Tequila were passed, darts and pool were played, eventually guns were shot off in the backyard of the bar, and if Damon hadn't been so miserable he might have said he was having fun. None of the men asked about his obvious heartache, it was clear this was about a no-good woman, and the best course of action was booze, bros, and guns.

He had the mother of all hangovers the next day, and in between bouts of Advil and coffee, he did a lot of thinking. One thing was very clear to him now. He was in love with Elena Gilbert. And the second thing that was clear is that she could never know. He knew what kind of woman she was, knew that he couldn't trust her, that she was as bad as Katherine, if not worse. At least Katherine was upfront about being a bitch.

And speaking of Katherine, he knew he had to break up with her. He tried calling her all morning, but couldn't find her. He called Carol Lockwood, who was also her agent, who told him Katherine was in Sweden at a film festival. He thanked her and hung up. What kind of relationship did he have if he didn't even know where his supposed girlfriend was? That she wasnt even in the country? No, it had to end. Even if Elena wasn't in the picture, Damon knew eventually he'd grow tired of Katherine's self-centeredness and conceit. She was exhausting to be around, and he supposed he had stayed with her out of habit.

So he reviewed his options. No girlfriend and in love with a woman that was never going to love him back. He almost started drinking again.

He had no idea how he was going to handle the TV appearance until the moment he saw her and decided if he couldn't have her then at least he could pretend he did. If Ric wanted some heat between them to sell tickets, it was the least he could do for the good of the movie, right? So those would become the moments he let himself have with her, stolen moments in the public eye, permission to love and adore her, and protection in private from the hell she could easily bring with a crook of her finger.

Which brought them to the present moment, here with Elena, stunning in a backless dress, draped on his arm. He almost fainted when he picked her up at her apartment. Had she worn that dress just to drive him mad? She was a vision, easily the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on.

Once inside the hall, they were met by the hostess and other charity officials. Damon plucked two glasses of champagne off a passing tray and handed one to Elena. He toasted her silently and they each took sips while their eyes were locked on one another. Elena wished the look in his eyes was real. He was looking at her like she was the only woman in the room. What she wouldn't give to have it be real. But he was obviously pretending for the cameras and all the people.

How he must hate her to put on such a show. Elena felt herself falling into a funk but pulled herself out of it in a snap. This was just a gig. They had to pretend to get along, and all the better if people got the wrong idea. Besides, all the attention was flattering. If he could pretend to like her to get through this, then she could pretend it didn't bother her. Easy peasy.

She linked her arm into his again and they walked around the party, talking to various celebrities and dignitaries. Damon was devilishly charming when he wanted to be, and tonight it was turned on full force. He laughed at lame jokes, told moving stories and charmed even the crankiest old socialite. And he never left her side or stopped touching her, whether it be holding her hand, linking arms, or touching her bare back. That especially got to her. He would stroke a shoulder blade or rub circles around the base of her spine, and with each touch, she felt herself melting.

"Care to dance?" he asked as a whisper in her ear. She hoped he didn't notice the goose pimples that rose along her arm from his proximity.

She nodded and he led her out onto the dance floor. "Clare de Lune" from Debussy started and Elena's sighed with longing.

"You ok?" he asked, spinning her slowly around the dance floor, one hand massaging her lower back.

"Nothing. It's silly," she said blushing. No way she was telling him how this song affected her.

It didn't matter because he guessed. "It's very romantic, isn't it?"

"Yes. But lonely too."

"How do you mean?"

"It's about love for sure, but I'm not sure its requited love, it seems more like a longing for something you don't have."

He listened for a few minutes then nodded solemnly. He knew exactly what she meant.

They twirled around the floor in silence for the next few minutes, as each was lost in thought. As the song ended, he stopped and stared at her, his eyes fixated on her lips. What would she do, he thought, if I kissed her right now?

Elena felt the pull between them and saw how he was looking at her. His grip on her body tightened and she felt herself being pulled infinitesimally closer to him until she was a millimeter away. She felt the heat radiating off him and she knew it wasn't manufactured. He wanted her.

She pulled back and eyed him. Did he think he'd catch more flies with honey? She pulled away ever so slightly and regarded him with a frank look. She was in no mood to get used and abused by him again.

He just smiled a mysterious smile and kept dancing, leaving the space she created between them.

* * *

><p>After a few dances, they both needed another drink. He took her to the bar where they met a famous actor, known for both his hyper-violent action films and his womanizing. He zeroed in on Elena at once. Damon deflected him as best as possible, until Kelly arrived with a group of Japanese investors she wanted him to talk to. Reluctantly he left her behind with the cad, unsure of what carnage he would find on his way back.<p>

Rounding the corner towards the bar he saw Elena, back to him, facing off with the other movie star. He must have said something embarrassing to her, because even from the back he could tell she was bright red from blushing. Fists clenched, he held his temper in check as he approached them.

He heard her lean in and hiss through clenched teeth, " I don't care who you are, you're disgusting. Damon Salvatore is ten times the man you are."

Damon cut in, placing his hands on Elena's shoulders who jumped in surprise. "So, what are we talking about over here?" He pulled her back into his embrace, and she didn't fight it. He could feel her breathing hard and he squeezed her arms to let her know he was on her side.

The man gave him a sly look. "It's nothing, mate. The lady and I were just discussing plans for later on tonight." He winked at Elena.

He felt Elena go rigid in his arms and knew this was not what had happened. "Listen," he said slowly and carefully, so the brute would be clear his intentions. "Hows about you fuck off?"

The other actor gaffawed and slapped the bar like it was the funniest thing he'd ever heard. But another glance in Damon's direction sent a clear warning that he was treading on thin ice. He gave Elena one last, long look and shook his head sadly, "What a waste," he said as he picked up his drink and walked away.

Elena was so angry, she could barely speak. Damon turned her around and looked deep into her eyes.

"It's ok," he said gently. "He's gone."

"The things he said to me, no one has ever-" tears filled her eyes as she fought to maintain control.

"Shh," he whispered, pulling her to him. He held her so gently and carefully, like she was a precious thing that had to be taken care of or she would break. Such an act of kindness on his part took her so by surprise she almost burst into tears. Instead she buried her face in the crook of his neck. He smelled clean and manly, like soap and a hint of aftershave.

He rubbed circles on her back for a moment before pulling away slightly to look at her.

"You wanna get out of here?" he asked her.

She nodded yes.

* * *

><p>AN1: Thanks for all the lovely reviews, I cherish each one. This chapter is something of a "thank you" for sticking around. But fear not, it's not over by a long-shot. Several more chapters to go. I kinda wished it would never end, it's so much fun to write.<p>

AN2: Here's the dress: crispme (dot) com (slash) wp (hyphen) content (slash) uploads (slash) Nina-Dobrev-44 (dot) jpg (got all that? good luck – hope it works)

AN3: If you have a moment, please review. Even if you just say, "Bout damn TIME!"


	10. A Blast From the Past

**Chapter Ten**

Before she knew it she was in an Aston-Martin convertible with Damon speeding along the 101 north out of the City. It was a rare trafficless night, the air balmy and LA'y: one part paradise mixed with a heafy dose of exhaust. The top was down, the wind was whipping the curls out of her hair, and it felt glorious to just speed madly on the freeway towards an unknown destination.

She only stopped for a moment to wonder where Damon had procured such a luxurious car out of thin air. She supposed the rich had access to whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted it. Damon dispelled that notion another mind-reading moment later when he told her a friend at the party owed him a favor.

Some favor. It was the nicest automobile she had ever been in, sleek and shiny, the exterior the color of her dress, a deep burgundy, and the interior a soft shade of chocolate brown. The leather seats were so plush and tender if was like sitting in your comfiest arm-chair at home in your jammies. She felt herself getting sleepy.

She didn't ask him where they were going, even when the drive hit the hour mark. He kept driving north into the winemaking country north of Santa Barbara. Eventually he got off the highway and started heading down back roads that got increasingly rougher until they turned onto a single paved road that led far up into the hills. Where was he taking her?

She chanced a look at him. He didn't look like a serial killer. In fact, she was sure she had never seen him look more relaxed. Where they going to his country place?

The mystery still wasn't solved even as they pulled up to a large hacienda on a hill. The lights were on in the house and she could detect the soft glow of a television in one of the rooms.

Without a word Damon parked the car and got out. She got out along with him; suddenly very aware of how formally she was dressed. He laughed at her dismay, then offered his arm to her like they were going to dance at a ball. She tentatively walked up the stone steps with him to the front door and stood nervously shifting from foot to foot as he rang the doorbell. Footsteps could be heard making their way, and a curtain momentarily pulled back before the door was thrown wide open and the figure of a large middle-aged woman appeared.

"Damon! My boy! You've come to see your Mama!" Then she noticed he was in a tuxedo and had someone with him. Her eyes swept over the pretty dark-haired girl in a ball gown.

Her eyes said it all. Damon brought a girl home?

* * *

><p>All through the late dinner his mother made them, Damon debated about whether he had made the right decision in bringing Elena to his parent's house. Should he have just taken her back to his bachelor pad and had his way with her?<p>

He answered that with a yes then a no when he saw her changed out of her dress and in an old pair of his sweatshorts rolled up and a black Slayer concert t-shirt tied at the waist. She looked sexy as hell, like a freshly-fucked high school girlfriend.

It didn't matter what he was wearing or what he said as his parents were acting like he wasn't even in the room. All their attention was on Elena as they peppered her with questions about her life.

Damon picked up his wine glass and watched her over the brim. The way she blushed and her shyness in answering his parent's incessant questioning really made him think he might have misjudged her. He thougt back to what happenend tonight: she couldn't have known he'd overhear her talking to that asswipe at the bar. And that asswipe was ten times as famous as he was, and rich to boot. If she was a player, she definitely would have gone for him, and she didn't.

Was Elena Gilbert for real?

"...Oh I love that show!" Mama Salvatore exclaimed after Elena told her of the soap opera she acted in. " I havent watched it in a dozen years though. Tell me, is Logan still on there?"

"Oh yes," Elena assured her. "I think he became a terrorist in the last season."

"Oh, what a shame," she replied sadly, as if the news were true. "He was always such a nice man. And so hot!"

"Bettina..." Giuseppe warned his wife with a roll of his eyes.

"What? I'm not dead! I can appreciate a fine male figure!"

"Oh Mama, gross," Damon replied, sounding decades younger than his age.

Bettina rolled her eyes and turned to Elena. "What do your parents think of your success? They must be very proud."

Elena froze, feeling all the blood in her face drain. "Uh, um..."

They all looked at her expectantly, waiting for her answer. She debated, momentarily, lying to them, but everyone eventually found out anyway. And they seemed like such nice people, she had to tell them the truth.

"My parents died when I was 17," she said quietly.

They all gasped. Bettina raised a had to her mouth and said, "Oh mio, how did they die?"

"In a car accident. I was in the car with them when we went over a guardrail into a river. I was pulled to shore, but we weren't able to save them."

"Tragedia," Damon's mother replied in Italian. "You poor girl. But such a strong girl. Your mother would be proud." She patted her hand reassuringly.

Giuseppe began a lecture on the importance of seat-belts but Damon didn't hear a word he said. He was lost in his own thoughts as he stared at her across the table. This explained her fear of confined spaces she had during the box scene. God, had he given her a hard time about that? He couldn't remember. He has been so hard on her the whole time he had known her and had fallen in love with her despite his distrust of her, but now it seemed she was a better person than he had ever hoped for.

A strong girl indeed.

After dinner the men got up to do the dishes. Giuseppe could tell Elena was surprised, but he waved her off with an annoying hand. "She cooks, I do the dishes. Been like that since day one. Damon will help." They cleared the table while Elena and Bettina watched.

"So," Bettina said slyly,"you want to see Damon's baby pictures?"

* * *

><p>"Here he is on the first pony we had." Bettina turned the pages of the photo album lovigly as picture after picture of Damon and Stefan went by. In the pony photo, a six-year-old gap-toothed, frizzy-headed Damon beamed out with a large smile. "Stefan was so jealous that day. He wanted to ride the pony, but he had broken his arm the week before and was in a cast."<p>

"But that's the way it always was with them," she continued. "Always in competition, for my affections, for their father's attention, for girls." She gave Elena a look. "You know, before Stefan came out, he was quite the cad. He stole quite a few girlfriends from Damon."

Something about her demeanor made Elena ask, "Like Katherine?"

Bettina made a face and looked back down at the album. " Oh, that woman has driven my boys too crazy for too many years. She was with Damon, first you know. Then Stefan took her right out from under him. That was a big fight, I'll tell you. But luckily, Stefan discovered who he really is and there really hasn't been a problem between them since." Her brow furrowed. "But Damon, he is still with her, no?" She waited for a nod from Elena. "That poor boy. He has never known the love of a good woman. Every woman he has ever loved has tried to rip him to shreds."

Elena kept her gaze on the photo album. She didn't dare look up and see what was in Bettina's eyes.

Bettina hid a smile and closed the album. "I think the dishes are done, should we find our men?"

She rose and walked towards the living room followed by a very confused and contemplative Elena.

* * *

><p>After watching a half-hour of reality TV sitting stiffly side-by-side, Damon turned to Elena and asked her if she was ready to go back to the City. If there was one thing he couldn't take, it was another minute of the sight of Elena's long legs taunting him from where she sat next to him on the couch.<p>

His mother wouldn't hear of it. "It's almost 12:30! You can't drive back now. It's too late! You should stay. Elena you can sleep in Stefan's bed-"

"No," Damon said tersely. "If we stay she sleeps in my bed-"

Elena's eyes nearly bugged out of her head. Her mouth opened and closed like a fish gasping for breath. He couldn't mean -

"What I meant," he clarified, the corners of his mouth lifting as he observed her distress, "Is that I will sleep in Stefan's bed, and she'll sleep in mine."

"Good," Giuseppe added as if he were happy the matter was finally settled.

"But I don't have anything to wear," Elena protested.

"Well, that t-shirt seems comfortable enough for sleeping," Damon's mother said. "And I think I have some of your cousin Lucinda's old clothes in the closet from her last visit for tomorrow." Seeing Elena's uncertainty she added, "Come Elena. You must stay. You must see the vineyards and you should come with me to the Farmer's Market in the morning."

Elena smiled and nodded. She would stay.

Giuseppe and Bettina made their good nights and headed upstairs. Damon led Elena to his room and gave her a tour of the amenities.

"Where are the rock posters?" she teased. It seems his mother hadn't had a chance to decorate his room as nostalgia-heavy as the rest of the house. Instead a large four-poster bed dominated the room with French Doors that led out to a small patio. There were posters on the walls, but they were framed and were of Italian movies.

They both looked at the bed at the same time then at each other. Damon tried to pretend he didn't know what she would look like sleeping in just his t-shirt. The thought made him as hard as steel. Elena pretended the bed didn't look made for sex.

"Well, um, goodnight," he said moving towards the door. "Thanks for coming tonight, and ah, being so great with my folks."

She smiled and laughed. "Well, you didn't give me much of a choice."

"Yeah," he said running a hand through his hair, looking sheepish.

"Technically, I think it's called kidnapping," she replied with a grin.

Images flashed across his mind of tying her up and torturing her with kisses all over her body. He shuddered and turned towards the door.

Suddenly she was grabbing his arm and turning him to her. "Hey, I was just kidding. It's nice meeting your parents. They're so...normal."

She looked so sad at that moment that he put his hand over hers. "You miss your parents a lot." He stated it as a fact, not a question.

She nodded. It was difficult to see a normal family in action. Even after all these years.

He reached for her and it almost seemed like it was in slow motion. As he folded her into his arms she was thinking of a million things she should be doing, like asking him what the hell he was doing, or why the change of attitude, or why did he bring her home to meet his mother. But all those thoughts fell away though as his lips touched hers.

Where the last time he kissed her with anger, this time he approached her with infinite gentleness, his lips barely grazing hers, his body held a respectable distance away. She realized he was giving her a choice. She could pull away now, and it would be clear to him that she didn't want him.

But she did want him, and badly. Her arms came up to link around his neck as she pulled him deeper into the kiss. His tongue broke the barrier between their lips and met hers for the first time like they were long lost lovers. He could feel her breath hot and sweet on his lips, and smell the traces of perfume she had put on earlier in the night still tangled in her hair.

As the kiss deepened, Damon's hands ran down the sides of her body, skirting her most erogenous zones, focusing on her back and sides, the thin t-shirt a hindrance to his roaming fingers. He pulled her against him and groaned as he felt her breasts rest on his chest. He could feel the hard nubs of her nipples peaking out through the cotton.

Elena moved even closer to him, pressing her full body into his. She could feel him hard and hot against her belly and she started to move against him, creating the illusion of love-making, one body moving rhythmically against another.

His hands slid down until he was cupping her ass. He growled in her ear and she sighed against him. Suddenly their hands were all over each other, she clutched his shoulders as he pushed her back against the doorframe and ground into her. She wrapped a leg around his waist and welcomed him with a push of her pelvis against his. They began the slow intimate dance.

His kisses trailed down her throat to the nape of her neck when he realized what he was doing. Reluctantly he held her away from him. Her eyes were glazed over and it took her a minute to understand he was pushing her away.

"I can't…" he said. "Katherine." He couldn't do to either her or Katherine what so many women had done to him.

Elena straightened herself up and repositioned her clothing. "Right. Ok. Um. I understand."

"You do?" He thought for sure he'd meet resistance or anger. Not understanding.

She reached up and pecked him on the cheek. "Goodnight Damon," she said with a shy smile.

"Goodnight Elena, " he replied still standing there looking at her awestruck. "Also, I didn't tell you earlier, because, well, it doesn't matter, but you looked beautiful tonight." Without waiting to see her reaction he walked out and closed the door.

After he left Elena crawled into his bed and wished the two of them didn't have as many morals as they did.

She was lonely without him.

* * *

><p>AN1: Aw, Mama Salvatore. Isn't she sweet?<p>

AN2: Like the subtle Buffy reference?

AN3: Loving the reviews and comments, especially about how you think the story should go. It actually helps me think about things I may not have thought of, so keep 'em coming.


	11. Not Quite In Season

**Chapter Eleven**

Elena brought the delicate peonies to her face and inhaled their soft, fresh scent. Damon had presented them to her moments before with a florish and a bow, like a real actor. It was easy to forget amongst the trappings of fame, that every actor is a ham, a romantic fool waiting patiently to show his wares.

She twirled around letting the sundress spin around her legs like a pinwheel. The borrowed dress miraculosly fit. The bust was a little tight at the top, pushing her breasts up, but Damon declared it fit perfectly. That got him a swat on the arm. The flip-flops she borrowed from Damon's mother tarnished the romantic look somewhat, but were more appropriate for a Saturday's farmer's market in the country.

Damon held tight to her arm during the walk through the vendors, trying to look incognito with a baseball cap and dark sunglasses. Whereas Elena might be recognized or not, Damon rarely went anywhere without whispers and stares, and occasional all-out hysterias. His parents had been coming to the market for years, though, and the locals were familiar enough with the star's presence not to comment on it. If anything, the attention was on the vaguely familiar young woman glued to his side. Friend or more? It was the prevailing question on the lips of the market-goers.

The couple trailed behind his parents, stopping each time Guiseppe wanted to squeeze the produce and Bettina wanted to hug old friends.

"What do you love more than anything?" Damon asked her as they strolled along.

"What do you mean? A person? A pet?"

"Whatever."

She took a moment to answer, concentrating hard on the fresh bundles of spinach before her. "I guess I would have to say my home in Mystic Falls. Weird, I know, to love a thing like a house, but it's where I grew up and where my aunt and uncle live now. It's beautiful and old and filled with happy memories."

He didn't respond and she looked up into his suddenly serious expression.

"Oh," he replied, realizing he was pressing on a pain point.

"And there's my cat," she interjected quickly, not wanting to ruin the mood, "Mr. Miagi, fattest and meanest cat in the land. I've had him for 15 years."

Damon, recovered quickly, and rolled his eyes good-naturedly, "You're a cat person."

"Heck yeah!" she said in mock defense. "But I love dogs too."

"I wish I could have a dog," he replied wistfully. "My life is too chaotic."

"I thought big time movie stars could have anything they wanted," she said as she inspected a pear in a large pile.

He looked at her longingly, a look she missed because she was turned away. "If only that were true," he replied.

"What about you?" she asked.

"What about me what?" he said grabbing her hand and bringing the pear to his mouth and taking a bite.

"What do you love more than anything?" She felt tingling on her fingertips where his lips brushed. Their eyes met.

"Pears," he said, moving his hand down to clasp hers.

He leaned in to kiss her, almost unconsciously, and then remembered his promise to himself. Until he broke up with Katherine there would be no hanky panky with Elena Gilbert.

But that didn't stop him from fucking her with his eyes.

She returned the look.

Their moment was interuppted by a tugging on Damon's arm. He looked down to find a boy around six-years-old looking up at him with a strange mixture of suspicion and awe.

"You're Brock, right? From 'The Eternity of Power'?" He was referring to Damon's superhero movie he made several years earlier that was still popular among the elementary school set.

"Sure am," he replied, kneeling in front the boy. "And who are you?"

"I'm Will sir, and I'm your biggest fan!" He threw his arms around Damon's neck.

Damon looked up at Elena as he laughed and hugged the boy back. She smilied broadly and reached out a hand to ruffle the boy's hair.

Damon thought of what a change it was from Katherine, who barely tolerated fans, and especially resented his. By this point Katherine would have been rolling her eyes and pulling at his sleeve to leave the little boy alone. Elena, by contrast, was kneeling down next to Damon and asking the little boy what his favorite part of the movie was.

"When Brock beat up Stone Face!" he exclaimed, thrilled to be the center of attention. "But I didn't like it when he kissed that girl, yeech. That was yucky. But she wasnt as pretty as you." He smiled bashfully at Elena.

Damon punched him on the arm. "Are you saying you want to kiss my girl?" he asked in mock seriousness. "I might have to fight you for her." They began play-fighting until the boy's mother called to him from the next booth.

"Wait," Elena cried out to him. "You forgot your kiss." He beamed and walked back to her, presenting his little face up to hers. She leaned down and kissed him on the cheek. "A kiss for the victor."

He laughed and ran off. Damon asked teasingly, "Where's my kiss?"

"No kiss for the losers," she said, and sashayed away, her hips moving suggestively from side to side.

"No fair!" he called out and went after her.

* * *

><p>After a light lunch of market-fresh salad and quiche, Gusippee gave Elena a tour of the winery.<p>

Neslted among the gentle hills of California's Central Valley, the Salvatore's owned all the land that could be seen. With the exception of the hill the house was on and the plot of land that held the winery and barns, the land was full of row after row of vines, just budding with immature grapes. Gusiseppe explained the wine making process and how much more superior the grapes were in his region of Italy where he was from.

Elena was in awe of the sheer breath of the lands and the operation. Damon walked a little ahead as his father explained impatiently again to him about the challenges of making good wine from such inferior grapes. Damon nodded along as if it were the first time he was hearing what Elena knew was a much-rehearsed speech. Papa Salvatore then launched into a speech about how Damon should have followed him into the family business instead of frittering away his life in La La Land.

Elena gave him a smile when he turned back to her rolling his eyes. But as hard a time as Giuseppe had given Damon today, he seemed crazy about Elena, extoling her beauty and kindness and asking Damon incessantly why he had never had her over before and that she was welcome back anytime, with or without Damon.

Elena studied the man in front of her asking his father questions about the weather and the crop. He was so different, so gentle and unassuming. It contrasted so greatly with the arrogant movie star she was used to. Which was real, she wondered?

It hardly mattered. Damon now had her firmly wrapped around his little finger. She was like butter on a hot roll around him. She couldn't resist him, the only thing keeping her from tackling him to the ground and wrapping her legs around him like an octopus, was the fact that he still had a girlfriend. She hadn't heard anything about her, other than Damon's parents snorting and rolling their eyes when they mentioned her. So far she hadn't met a single person who liked Katherine, except for Damon presumably. She needed to remember to ask Stefan about it when she got back to town.

Until then, Damon was off-limits in anything but the fantasy department. The fantasy department which was working overtime every time he smirked at her, or ogled her dress. All she could picture was him peeling it off her slowly….

Her thoughts were interrupted by a long-distance shout from the farmhouse from Damon's mother.

"Daaaaammmmoonnnnn! Telephone!"

Damon frowned and turned to her. "Be right back."

She watched him jog to the house then felt Giuseppe take her arm. "You want to see where we make the wine?"

* * *

><p>He found her again as she and Giuseppe were barefoot and stomping around in an empty wine tank pretending to smash grapes. Damon was out of breath like he had run a mile, or maybe run as fast as he could back from the house.<p>

Elena was instantly alarmed. "Is everything ok?" She dropped the hem of her dress and stepped out of the tank.

"Can I talk to you a minute?" Damon asked impatiently.

They both turned to look at Giuseppe who got the picture immediately. "I'll be in the house watching the ball game." The moment he closed the door, Damon advanced on Elena, backing her up until she was up against a railing.

"What's wrong? Are you ok?" He was acting really weird.

Damon just glowered down at her, his dark blue eyes flashing. Before she knew it he was on her, his lips pressed hard to hers, his body pressed tightly against hers, his hands on her hips trying to pull her closer.

Before she could respond, he released her and gave her a huge grin. "I can't tell you how long I've wanted to do that," he whispered and let his forehead rest against hers. From this angle he could see right down her dress, and her breasts, full and lush were calling to him.

"That was Katherine on the phone," he said.

"Oh." The mention of Katherine's name made her stand up straighter, pulling herself away from him.

He grasped her arms and held her to him, his eyes earnest and fixed on hers. "She told me she was sleeping with this Swedish actor. Told me I was boring and she was staying in Sweden for a while."

Elena's eyes grew wide with surprise, then narrowed slightly with distrust. "That doesn't sound like Katherine. She doesn't seem like the type to give up on L.A."

"I don't think she has to. He's rich as Croesus. Has houses all over the world." Damon was nearly giddy delivering the news.

Elena crossed her arms in front of her. "And why exactly would this make you so happy? Your girlfriend just broke up with you."

"I know! Right?" He was smiling from ear-to-ear.

She just scowled at him as he threw back his head and laughed. "It's because now I can do this." He kissed her softly on the cheek, then nibbled a trail to her ear and down her neck. She tilted her head to give him better access.

"I don't know Damon…." she said breathlessly. All the decision-making blood was draining from her head, where she needed it, to other places.

He drew back up her neck, this time breathing in and letting out little hot breaths all over her skin. His hands abandoned her arms, and traced the outline of her hourglass figure.

"Elena," he whispered, his eyes meeting hers, his face inches away.

Her hands scratched at the railing behind her as she sought control of her body. It would be so easy to just give in, have their way with each other. But what about tomorrow? She couldn't bear it if they made love then he was cruel to her again.

"Damon. Stop," she said distractedly, even as she turned her head to give him better access to the nape of her neck.

"Why? I think this is something we both want." His hand brushed the hardness of her nipple and she moaned.

"We can't. Don't you need time to…" she was panting now, as he gently cupped her breast with his large hand. "…need time to…I dunno…mourn?"

His hand dropped, but he didn't move away from her. He straightened up to face her. "I see. You're afraid this is just a one-time thing. That I'm just seducing you."

"No. Um. Well. Maybe. Yes."

"Elena Gilbert, you have been driving me crazy for months. You're all I think about, all I dream about. I can't get through the day without fantasying about you five times. Do you think that means it's a one-night stand? What I want from you will take a lot more time than that." His hands resumed their roaming, coasting up and down her sides, and she could tell he was itching to continue his explorations of the more intimate planes of her body.

She wanted to be strong. Really she did. She wasn't the type to fall into bed with anyone. But he wasn't just anyone. He made her feel alive and sexy and irresistible. He made her want to do bad things.

"Just let me make you feel good." He cupped both breasts and leaned down to kiss the cleavage he created. "Is that ok?" He looked back up at her, his dark locks covering part of his face. He looked like a little boy asking for permission to have another cookie.

She just nodded, unable to articulate how she was feeling. And how she was feeling is that she was hopelessly lost to him. It was better he didn't know that.

He kissed her, his lips feather light against hers as if he was waiting for her to make the next move, prove to him everything was ok. His nose nudged hers side to side in an Eskimo kiss. The gesture was innocent and disarming.

She brought her hands up to his chest and rounded his shoulders with her palms. Her fingers played with the hair at the naps of his neck as her eyes sought his. With her eyes she pleaded with him to be true. Be honest. His answered her by closing momentarily then re-opening to meet her gaze again. What she saw there looked an awful lot like love shining from the depths.

She kissed him then, pulling him tightly to her so no space separated their bodies. His erection, the one she was so familiar with rubbed her lower belly and made her ache. After straddling, bouncing, and rubbing against it for days at a time, she wondered with a flush how it would feel inside of her. He was big. It might hurt. But then again, it might hurt for a moment then it would be replaced by something magical and far more pleasant.

He read her mind, as he always did, and began to rock his pelvis into hers. They both groaned in unison.

The problem with the tight bodice on the dress was that he couldn't get to her breasts. After lifting and kissing along the cleavage and fingering her nipples till she was panting, he was getting frustrated.

"I swear, if we weren't here, I'd rip this dress off you." He looked at her half-serious and all-smoldering.

She nearly swooned, even though she never saw herself as the bodice-ripped heroine of some cheesy romance novel, her soap opera pedigree not withstanding. Instead of ripping he lifted up the pleated skirt and caressed the outside of her thighs.

"Naughty girl, no undies." His cock strained harder against his jeans, threatening to break through the zipper and the hard denim.

"Evening gown," she gasped into his mouth in way of explanation as his hands trailed over to her luscious ass, the one that had been taunting him earlier in the day. He cupped her cheeks and pressed him against his cock. "Want you so bad," he whispered into her hair before he captured her mouth in another scorching kiss.

"I know," she responded, breathing in his masculinity at his shoulder. "But we can't...what if your parents..."

"They wouldn't. But you're right," he said as he continued caressing her all over, one hand kneaded a breast while the other kept her firmly in place over his hardness, pressing between her shaking legs. "This isn't the place. You need a proper seeing to. Preferably in my bed."

She sighed, deflated, even though she knew it was the right decision. Her hands came down to his front to fiddle with the hem of his t-shirt.

"Let's go."

He grabbed her hand and they ran out of the barn towards the car.

* * *

><p>AN1: I am evil, I know.<p>

AN2: 3/26/12 - Sorry it took so long to post. I warned you I get side-tracked towards the ends of my stories, but I do always manage to finish them. Fret not. I will post as much as I can. And I'll start dating these notes, so you know exactly how long it takes my lazy ass to get into gear. (I blame the manic-depression).

AN3: Hm, such a convenient breakup with Katherine. I wonder….

AN4: Please take a minute and review. I love to hear from you.


	12. The Now As in Right Now

AN1: …and now the reason for that M rating...just in time for the weekend…some smut… the _classy_ kind.

**Chapter Twelve**

Elena stood at the glass wall of windows and looked out on the twinkling city below. Other than Griffith Park, she couldn't remember ever having been up so high in the city. It was a clear night and she could see all the way past downtown to the city's edge in Long Beach.

She turned, putting her back to the window and surveyed Damon's apartment. Bachelor pad, really, because the space looked built for seduction in mind. Everything was in shades of grey, expensive fabrics, glass and marble everywhere. It was right out of the pages of Architectural Digest. What it was lacking, though, was warmth. Personal touches. The living room didn't boast a single personal item, no photos, cd's, keys, clutter, anything. In a way it was the scariest thing she could imagine. If he could see her apartment..

"Drink?" he offered, as he stood in the doorway with a bottle of champagne and two glasses in his hand. She wasn't sure if she should swoon or be creeped out that he kept chilled champagne at the ready.

"Sure," she replied, more self-assured than she felt, walking over to accept a glass. They toasted silently and drank. The sparkling wine coasted effortlessly down Elena's throat and immediately made her feel woozy.

"Another toast," he offered up, his glass raised high, "to the most beautiful woman I have seen in a long time." He wanted to say 'ever' but felt that might be a touch heavy-handed. He was already suppressing the urge to steal her clothes and make her his sex slave.

"Oh stop," she said, half in jest, as she raised her glass to clink softly against his.

"Stop what? Sweet talking you?" He downed the champagne like a tumbler of Scotch and set down the glass. He reached for her suddenly pulling her to him and holding her fast. "Better I was rough and take you like a cave-man? Is that what you want? Because I'm all ears."

She was losing the fight against the swoon, and would keep on losing it if he kept talking like that. "No more talking," she replied, her lips a hair's breath away from his.

"Tell me you want this," he whispered to her lips. His fingers trailed circles along the outside of her arms, making her shiver.

"Yes," she whispered back so softly he had to lean in to hear.

His lips met hers, closed-mouth, almost chaste. But the heat that had been building between them for months broke them open and soon tongues were meeting tongues and teeth clashed as they kiss grew deeper. Elena could already feel herself growing impossibly wet, just from one kiss. He stroked her cheek softly as he murmurrmed something in her ear.

"What?" she asked, senseless from the kisses he was trailing down her neck.

"I said," he repeated, "that I'm am one minute from ripping this dress off."

She gasped melodramatically. "You can't. It's Aunt Lucinda's!"

"Cousin Lucinda. And the last time I saw her there was no way she would fit in that dress again. So I think," -_rip-_ "I will just rip this off." He parted the dress down the center, Elena's breasts spilling forth into his hands. He hungrily attacked a nipple with his mouth, sucking and biting softly. Her moan reverberated off the walls.

He picked her up under the knees and carried her into the bedroom. He laid her down on the bed and slowly peeled the dress off her. "Too bad about the dress. Drove me crazy all day. But I think I like you better like this." He took in her glorious form, completely nude. She moved to cover herself but he tsked. "None of that. If you're here with me all you'll be is naked. Get used to it."

He whipped his t-shirt over his head and slipped off his jeans. Seems she wasn't the only person going commando. His cock sprang up hard and ready. She looked him up and down. He looked delicious. Lean and hard the way a man should be.

He dropped to his knees in front of her and kissed her passionately, his hands coming up to tangle in her hair.

"Love this hair," he said, fanning it out around them. He kissed each shoulder, then her collarbone, then gave a chaste kiss to each nipple, then he licked and nipped at her abdomen to the top of her mons. Each place he stopped he declared love for. "Love your shoulders, they're so sexy; "Love those pert little nipples of yours. So hard for me, aren't they?" When he reached the top of her mound he breathed in her scent, closing his eyes in estacy. "You smell heavenly, like ambrosia. Do you know how long I've wanted to do this?" He nuzzled into her pussy and took little laps like a puppy drinking from a bowl. Elena gasped at the sensations. "When I saw you at the photo shoot I saw you were almost shaved, but it looks like it's all the way."

Elena blushed. "They did it that day."

"Really," he said, one eyebrow raised. "I'd have thought it would have grown in already."

She covered her eyes with one hand, too embarrased to look at him. "I kept it up. I thought it felt sexy."

"Mmm, it does feel sexy. And taste sexy, and smell sexy. Elena, I wanna make you feel good. Can I do that?"

She nodded and lay back on the bedspread as Damon got himself comfortable on the floor between her legs. He began by kissing her as chastely as he had her nipples, little pecks on her clit and slit, nuzzling her some more with his nose. Then suddenly he sucked hard on her clit, causing her to buck off the bed madly. "Damon!" she cried out, and nearly orgasmed on the spot.

"Hush you. I'm just getting started." He began licking and sucking her, his hands straying north to knead her breasts. Elena spread her legs wider and brought her heels to the edge of the bed. Damon introduced one, then two fingers into her slit, slowing drawing them in and out while he teased her clit, licking and kissing but never quite enough pressure, never enough satisfying friction. Her hands made their way into his dark hair hoping to hold his head in place but he out-maneuvered her and chuckled softly into her folds.

"What is it Elena? Do you need something a little harder?" He thrust his fingers to the hilt, making her cry out. Then he immediately began his slow glide and teasing kisses, driving her mad.

"Damon, please." She was reduced to begging. He had won whatever game they were playing and that was fine, as long as she could get him back later.

"Please what?" He said with another hard thrust.

"Please. Ohhh, ohhh, my God Damon!" She humped his hand willing him to go faster.

"Wanna hear you ask for it. Wanna hear," he paused to lick her clit in circles, "you talk dirty Elena. Tell me what you want."

Damn him! "Fine! I wanna come! Oh my God Damon! Fuck me! Fuck me with your tongue!"

Without another taunt, he complied, swiftly moving his fingers to her clit to massage madly while his tongue snaked into her slit coaxing the juices out of her. "Ungh, unghhhhhh!" Elena climaxed into his mouth as Damon sucked on her pussy. His tongue lapped up all the cream that spilled from her, his fingers never ceasing their friction.

He kept kissing her all over as she rode down from the high, soon he had made his way up, after sucking on both breasts and moving his fingers down to insert them into her pussy, stroking her softly like a kitty.

He loomed above her, held slightly above, waiting for another signal from her that things could proceed. She grabbed him and kissed him hard, tasting herself on him only made her hornier.

"Damon, I need you. Inside me."

He didn't need to be told twice, didn't need a naughtily phrased invitation this time. He quickly rolled on a condom and positioned himself, pushing in slowly, as both of them groaned at the completion.

Once he was fully sheathed he stopped and looked at her. She was right there with him, eyes open, face flushed, shimmying her hips just slightly as a reminder of what he needed to do next. But he just lay there, propped on top of her, drinking her in. She was so beautiful, easily the most gorgeous woman he had ever bedded. In that tiny moment his thoughts stretched forever. How could he convince her to stay, here with him? Should he tell her that he was in love with her now, or after? What if she balked? Or told him he was what he thought of himself as, a sentimental fool? For a moment he stopped seeing her, but then he realized he could feel her all around him. This was real. This was what he needed to focus on. The Right. And the Right Now. He could feel his cock throbbing against her tight warmth. He gave a little pulse and saw her smile and give a squeeze in return. He pulled almost all the way out and then slammed back in making her cry out loudly.

Then the program returned to its regularly scheduled show. Which was him fucking her to high heaven.

After her next orgasm, which came swiftly after a few hard stokes, he flipped them over so she could ride him. He wasn't going to last very much longer, this first go round, and he always had difficulty reaching orgasm from this position so he figured he could go a while longer. But that was before he had Elena riding him, her long hair and breasts bouncing wildly on each stroke. He looked to where their bodies joined and began fingering her clit, hoping she was about to join him over the edge...

"Ayyiaayyee," she screamed, convulsing on top of him, her third mind-blowing orgasm of the evening. He waited until she started descending before he flipped them back over with him on top and, propped up on his knees, began to ram mercilessly into her. He propped her legs on his shoulders and plundered her pussy to its depths, one finger on her button, the other on one of her full perky breasts, pounding and pounding until he exploded inside of her, carrying her along for a fourth, limb-numbing tour. He shouted her name over and over as he came, his thrusts never stopping, only slowing down.

Finally he came to rest and collapsed on top of her, but quickly rolled off to deal with the condom. She felt bereft the moment he left her and was glad to see him hurry back and dive back on the bed, as unable to stay away from her as she was from him.

She wanted to talk, but exhaustion was claiming her. She snuggled up next to him as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

Here, right here, she could stay forever, she thought as her eyes drifted shut.

Then her eyes popped right back open as she realized the truth behind that statement. She quickly closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep. She didn't want to look at him or talk to him, because if she did, then he would know.

She had fallen madly in love with him.

* * *

><p>AN2: How I hate dealing with contraception during a sex scene. I almost skipped it and let the reader assume everything was a-ok, but with an ex like Katherine, that's a bit of a stretch. And then I thought, this is what it's actually like anyway, no one has (or should have) sex without thinking about protection. Our lot in life. So look forward, in future chapters, for some blood tests and prescriptions for the pill! Sexy!<p>

AN3: Don't worry, this isn't the end. More to come. More angst, more film-making, more _amore_.

AN4: Thoughts on the chapter? Heavy breathing encouraged, but I do not accept PMs for chat sex. ;)


	13. The Double Triple Whatever Agent

**Chapter Thirteen**

_(Pavel and Nina stand over a prostrate and badly beaten Ian. Pavel nudges him with his boot until Ian stirs)_

_Pavel: (kneeling) Looks like he is back amongst the living. Welcome back Mr Somerhalder, it's time for the finale. Wouldn't want you to miss it._

_Ian: (slowly sitting up and ignoring Pavel to focus on Nina). Are you ok?_

_I thought maybe that bastard got you._

_(Nina nods and gives him a sad smile, but doesn't say anything. Ian then notices she isn't tied up or harmed)_

_Ian: What's going on?_

_Pavel: (who has crossed and sat on a rickety old chair leans on the back two legs). I'm glad you asked. Nina, do you want to tell him, or shall I?_

_(Nina grimaces and looks away in shame)_

_Pavel: Oh goody, I get to be the one to tell you that your new girlfriend is a double agent. Or maybe it's triple. Whatever. Either way, she's ratted you out. I know where the suitcase is._

_Ian: So? What? Are you going to kill us now?_

_Pavel: (nodding thoughtfully) Maybe. Or maybe just her. (Ian blanches and Pavel laughs). But I'm going to spare you Mr. Somerhalder. Nina made sure of that when I found out she knew._

_Ian: (looking at Nina) Why? Why would you do this? He's going to blow up L.A.!_

_(Nina doesn't answer or look at him, just stares at the floor)_

_Ian: Tell me!_

_Pavel: (laughing). I should think it would be obvious. (He rises and crosses to Nina, stroking her hair). She loves you. Isn't that right kitten?_

_(Nina nods, but keeps her eyes downcast. Tears begin to leak out and hit the dusty floor)_

_Pavel: Yes, she loves you. And she has made a deal with the devil to spare your life. (He continues to stroke her hair). But that doesn't mean I'll spare hers. (Pavel takes a gun from his pocket and shoots Nina in the head, she slumps to the ground)_

_Ian: (with horror) Noooooo! (He starts toward Nina but two big bodyguards stop him)_

_Pavel: (from off-screen) Drug him and bag him. We need him for the key codes._

_(The last thing Ian sees before he goes under are Nina's lifeless eyes and the ever-expanding pool of blood around her head)_

"And...cut! Beautiful! It's a wrap! Great work everybody!" Ric said. "Ok you're off till tomorrow for a 9 am call. And just because it's the last day of shooting doesn't mean we can fuck around. We've got a full day. No sneaking off to Stefan's party till after the wrap. Ok? Stefan, Damon, see me in my trailer, I want to talk about that last scene."

There were nods and good-natured grumbles as the cast and crew hurried to leave for the night. Damon walked over to a still 'dead' Elena and asked her how the head wound was faring.

"Icky," she replied, happy to see a crewmember coming to help her clean up.

"You still look hot, even with the blood spatter."

"Oh, stop," she said smiling shyly, even though she didn't want him to.

"I have to run through this last scene with Stefan, but then dinner after? I thought we could swing by for some takeout, then...you know..." He gave her a sexy look, flashing his eyes.

"Damon!" she whispered, gesturing with her head towards the crewmember cleaning her 'head wound," pretending not to notice the blatant flirting.

Damon just smirked and stood up to hover over her. "Yeah, takeout...couch...bad TV... and other things..."

He got out of her way before she could throw anything at him. He really was the definition of incorrigible.

After she was cleaned up, he helped her to her feet and swept her into his arms. "How about a kiss for the road?"

"Ok," she said snuggling into him, "But keep it PG."

"Not possible," he whispered and kissed her softly on the lips, sending little shocks and surges of heat through her body.

"Damon!" They heard Ric call from across the studio.

"Gotta run, but I'll catch you later." He gave her a wink letting her know that was literal.

She blushed and let go grudgingly. It was getting harder and harder to say goodbye to him, even if it was just for a moment.

In a trance she walked back to her dressing room to change, chuckling to herself about Damon's 'chase' comment. He like to chase her around the apartment, tickling her mercilessly when he caught her, always threatening to tie her up and do naughty things to her. It was her sacred duty to run, but she always gave up too easily, wanting the tickling and kisses more than the pleasure of out-running him.

The past week had been heaven. They had spent almost every night save one at his apartment and she'd even managed to mess it up a bit for him. He admitted he had a Nazi cleaning woman, who had no tolerance for clutter. Or decor, Elena chimed in, in an uncharacteristically snarky manner. He told her sheepishly Katherine had picked everything out. He was too busy and was never home anyway. They hadn't spent any time at her apartment yet, as it was much further away from the studio and took too much time away from having sex. She ran home and packed a bag, dropped the cat off with a friendly neighbor and headed back to Damon's, ignoring that little voice in her head that said it was all going too fast. They only had another week of shooting, she told herself. After that, things would chill out and she'd go back home.

So she set up house in his sterile apartment. Buying flowers and a frame for a picture of his parents she found on his desk. He carted home a chair he found on the street, a green velvet armchair that was so luxurious that it obviously had a rich previous owner. It instantly became Damon's favorite chair and they sat it together, her on his lap, as they ate Chinese food and watched the previously mentioned bad TV.

Elena couldn't remember being happier. And the sex. Incredible. They both had big libidos and turned to each other frequently during the night for a 'midnight snack.' He made love to her in the shower each morning, soaping her up, paying special attention to breast cleanliness. He would face her towards the back of the shower and drill into her from behind, or if they had time, he would draw a bath and she would sit on top of him, a position he declared his favorite because he could kiss her mouth, breasts, and shoulders (his favorite body part of hers) so easily.

She sighed with contentment and finished changing. Maybe she would stop by Damon's trailer and leave him a love note before she took off for the day. She took out her favorite lipstick and wrote 'see you later lover-boy' across a sheet of stationary and folded it together. She grabbed her bag and headed for his trailer.

She was only five paces away from her front door when she saw Damon walk by followed closely by Katherine.

Katherine?

Instinctively, she hid behind a large box and then followed them. She couldn't hear what was being said but she saw them walk into Damon's trailer and close the door. She stood there in the middle of the studio lot for too long, long enough that she suddenly felt very stupid and exposed. She looked like a stalker. She turned and headed towards her car.

What was Katherine doing here? In Damon's trailer? Before she started freaking out, she calmed down by telling herself that it was natural they would see each other - post break-up. She broke up with him on the phone for heaven's sake! Of course they had unfinished business. That line of thinking got her down two freeways and a side street before she remembered how manipulative Katherine was. What If she wanted him back? Did Damon still love her? He had never really talked about his relationship with her, everything between them was too new and exciting to sully with an ex talk. What if he decided Elena was a little too small-town for him? Too boring?

She pulled into her driveway and parked the car, her hands shaking in the steering wheel. Competing emotions of jealousy and fear were starting to consume her. She needed to calm down and think straight.

She collected a reluctant Mr. Miagi from the neighbor's and went home. Mail was piling up inside the front door and the house had a tired, musty smell from being closed up too long. She changed again, into more casual clothes, and set about righting the house: opening windows, sorting mail, and straightening up. It felt good to be home, she thought, to step back into one's life again after a long absence.

But she missed him terribly. And it had only been a few hours. She made herself a smoothie and went to sit on her front steps. She had to try and be objective, she told herself. Sure, Damon liked her, they had spent so much time together in the last week, he had to at least like her. They hadn't spoken of love, and sometimes Elena had the hardest time not shouting it out during sex, but it wasn't time yet. Well, for her it was. She knew she had never felt about anyone the way she felt about Damon and it scared her.

She needed to give him the benefit of the doubt. Katherine was trouble, but no one knew that better than Damon, right?

The phone in her pocket buzzed with a text message. It was from Damon and read:

_Trapped here w S then need to see agent. Will c u tomorrow. Xxoo_

Her heart sank. With shaky hands she immediately dialed Stefan's number.

"Hello?"

"Hey, it's Elena. Can you talk?"

"Sure."

* * *

><p>Four hours and two margaritas later, Elena was more confused than ever. Stefan had insisted she come over, Tyler was away, and then cooked her a big dinner, which reminded her of his mother's. He then sat down and told her everything; from the first moment both brothers had laid eyes on Katherine Petrova to what he thought might have happened today. Like Damon's mother said, Damon dated her first, and he was so naively in love with her, he barely noticed how much time Stefan and Katherine were spending together.<p>

"So you didn't know you were gay then?" Elena asked.

Stefan rolled his eyes. "Of course I knew I was gay, I was just very, very closeted. Traditional Italian-American family, rising movie star, I'm sure you can imagine the pressure to be straight. And I was consumed with jealousy for Damon. He was more successful, enthusiastically straight, and was in love with a beautiful, albeit crazy, woman. I wanted his life. So," Stefan paused to polish off his second margarita, "I took it from him. Not my finest moment."

He continued. "But a few weeks with Katherine made it clear to me who I really was. I almost destroyed my relationship with my brother and married a manipulative, evil woman just to prove I was straight."

"Married?" Elena was shocked at hearing the revelation of his intention to marry her, not of Katherine's innate evilness.

"Yes, married. Because how could I one-up Damon except to permanently steal the woman he loved?". Stefan's eyes darted away from hers with shame.

"But then you came out of the closet and broke up with Katherine. How did she end up back with Damon?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. All I do know is that once we broke up she was back with Damon within the week. And they've been together ever since. Well, until he met you."

Elena chose her next words carefully. "Do you think he still loves her?"

"Honestly, I don't think my brother has any idea what love really is. If he did he wouldn't still be with her after all these years."

Elena tried to fight back the tears, but they ignored her and began trailing down her face anyway.

"Hey, come here." Elena sat beside Stefan on the couch and he stroked her hair and let her have a good cry before brushing away her tears with the back of his hand. "Ok, that's enough of that. You have to fight for what you want." He paused, looking deeply into her eyes. "Do you love him Elena?"

"Yes," she whispered, her voice more desperate than she wanted it to sound.

"Then go get him."

Not trusting her intoxicated state, Stefan drove her home, and told her to talk to Damon first thing in the morning. She wanted to go over right away, but Stefan put her in front of a mirror that showcased her tear-streaked face and shabby clothes and told her that to do battle she needed to dress for it.

The next day she prepared for battle. Black skinny jeans, high heel boots, and a black silk tank top paired with a lightweight short black leather jacket. She looked like a ninja. A sexy ninja. She went straight to his trailer and knocked on the door.

When she saw him, she knew what she would do, and it started out with jumping into his arms and kissing him silly.

No one answered so she knocked again. That was weird, the call was in half an hour and normally Damon was early to the set.

The door opened and instead of Damon it was Katherine, dressed in a silk robe, partially undone to reveal she was braless and one might assume, completely nude underneath.

"Oh, it's you," Katherine said distastefully. She didn't ask Elena inside.

Elena wasn't sure what to do or say. "Um. Is Damon home? I mean, here?" Elena tried to look around Katherine towards the bedroom.

Katherine smirked. "He's in the shower." Her tone left nothing to the imagination. Quite like her mussed hair and lack of clothing that told the rest of the story.

"Oh," Elena said, "Well, tell him I dropped by." She felt her face flaming bright red and curbed an internal urge to cut and run.

"Ok. I'll be sure to tell him," Katherine replied with false sweetness.

Elena turned awkwardly to leave, but Katherine caught her by the arm. "Maybe I should spell it out for you. Damon is mine. You need to move on."

"Isn't that Damon's decision?" Elena spit back, feeling her back go up. Someone needed to teach this woman a lesson.

"I think he did that last night," she growled, smiling wickedly when Elena blanched.

"I don't believe you."

"Ask him yourself. He'll be out of the shower in a minute." She sat down regally on the clothes-strewn couch.

Elena looked around the room and saw both Damon and Katherine's clothes draped all over the furniture. Suddenly she felt sick.

Elena practically ran out of the trailer trying not to vomit all over Katherine and herself. It was true. They were back together. She ran and almost made it back to her trailer before her stomach caught up to her and she lost her breakfast in a trashcan. Pale and shaking she pulled herself into the trailer and closed the door sitting against it. It took a tremendous force of will to not cry, to not break-down and wail with the strength of force someone would reserve for the grief of death, but somehow she held it together. Maybe it was the impending call, crying would be hard to erase even with makeup. And maybe it was the growing realization that she had been fooled. Fooled by a master.

That was not something to cry over.

* * *

><p>AN1: Next Chapter going right up right on the heels of this one, because you know, it's depressing as hell.<p>

AN2: Read and review. Share the love, or, in the case of this chapter, share the disappointment, the rage, etc.


	14. The Cast Party From Hell

AN: Posting two chapters at once, so make sure you see the one before this one, Chapter 13. You'll know you'll have read it if you are depressed as hell. If not, and you are still glowing from the sexy scene, go back.

**Chapter Fourteen**

Katherine closed the door after Elena left and poured herself a glass of orange juice. That was too easy, she thought.

Damon walked out a moment wrapped in a towel still dripping water. "Who was that?" he asked, drying his hair with a second towel.

"PA," she lied, admiring his naked, wet, chest. She stood and sauntered over to him, her expression clearly one of a desire and a plan to seduce. She brought one hand to his chest before he caught her arm and held her away.

"Nice try sweetheart. But no dice. You said you were here for a reason, let's get to it. You've got five minutes." He paused for a moment, taking a glance around the trailer. "Why are all my clothes everywhere?"

Fifteen minutes later Damon was standing next to a visibly upset Elena, both of them half-listening as Ric gave directions for the last scene. It was a dream sequence that would happen while Ian was drugged. Damon was dressed in blood and tatters while Elena was dressed as a modern day angel: white flowing robes and giant angel wings. Damon couldn't look at her, or talk to her, or even think about her. What he had just seen had shaken him to his core.

Next to him, Elena vibrated with rage, hoping Ric wouldn't be able to tell she was about to haul off and smack her co-star across the face.

"...and then I want a longing look at the

end. I want you two to remember every moment you made love."

Their heads shot up together as they both stared in disbelief at Ric. Did they needed to be reminded in this moment what they had lost?

"Places!"

They parted and Elena went to stand on the riser next to his bed. Damon lay down on the bed and pulled the covers up to his chin. He looked at her as she was being raised above the bed like she was flying above him.

How had he been so fooled by her? As careful as he was not to get played, he still fell for her hook, line, and sinker. But Katherine had the proof. Disgusting photographs of Elena having sex with Elijah the week she was supposedly in Mystic Falls. Then the one day she went home to feed her cat, another meeting with him at a sleezy hotel! Was she some kind of nympthomanic? As hard as he had bedded her, she needed more? He felt sick thinking about all the positions he saw her in, on her knees on the dirty motel carpet, in a tub like his fucking Elijah Fucking Hamilton. She looked over at him and he looked away.

Elena caught him staring at her and it took everything she had to not launch herself at him and scream why? It was obvious that he knew that she knew about Kathetine, hence the cold shoulder.

Which was fine by her. It was better this way. He wouldn't have to pretend to let her down easy. It could just be over.

"And...action!"

Neither Damon or Elena moved, prompting Ric to yell cut and ask them what was the matter. They both shook their heads and murmured something and they started again.

"Action!"

_(Ian awakes in a cold sweat, in an unfamiliar room. He is breathing heavy as he notices his surroundings. He remembers Nina and starts to panic till he sees her floating above him as an angel)_

_Nina: Shhhh, it's ok._

_Ian: How is it ok? You're dead!_

_Nina: I'm at peace now, and soon you will be too._

_Ian: What does that mean? Am I going to die?_

_Nina: No. It means you are going to live._

_(Nina floats closer to Ian until they are a hairs breath apart.)_

_Nina: I love you_

_(She begins to float away towards the ether)_

Damon gazed up at Elena floating against the green screen and for a moment broke character and really looked at her. She looked so sad, like her lifetime of troubles had finally taken their toll. He wished he could reach out to her and enfold her in his arms like he had done just yesterday. But he couldn't. It wasn't in the script.

_Nina: Goodbye (she floats off into the darkness)_

Goodbye, thought Elena as she looked down at Damon. You were the happiness I was looking for but now I know it was just a lie, a beautiful burning lie. She kept his gaze, but her thoughts were far away.

"Cut! Fabulous!" Ric shouted as he moved onto the set. "Get Damon out of here and give me a handheld to get the close ups of Elena!" Everyone bustled around getting ready for the next shot as Damon was pushed to the side, his part done.

Well, that's that, he thought. Time to start drinking.

* * *

><p>The party at Stefan's house was in full swing when Elena arrived alone. This time she was prepared and had brought along a bathing suit and a coverup. Hopefully she wouldn't need it. She didn't plan on staying long. Long enough to be polite. Long enough to say goodbye to her new friends.<p>

She knew, of course, they were temporary friendships. The entertainment industry lent itself to it short-term engagements. She wasn't sure why she expected it to be any different now, especially with Damon. While he was moody and hard on those around him, for some reason his friends were loyal. They would choose him each time.

Bonnie caught her on the arm, surprising her. Elena turned to face her. Except for Bonnie, of course. In her, Elena knew she had made a true friend. A friend, who, right now, was looking at her with sympathy.

"You ok?"

Elena nodded. She explained dispassionately on the phone to Bonnie what had happened. Bonnie was shocked and vowed to get to the bottom of it, but when she called back later with news, none of it was good. It appeared Damon and Katherine were back together and had been seen several times during the rest of the day, Katherine hanging all over Damon everytime Bonnie saw them. She also tried to talk to Stefan, who seemed upset but refused to talk to her. None of it pointed in a positive direction and for that, Bonnie was sorry.

"Let's get you a drink." Bonnie led Elena by the hand to the bar where Tyler, in a tux with surf shorts was serving cocktails.

"Here you go, Elena, special of the house. I call it the 'Love Is Hell' cocktail. One part bitters, one part lavender juice and 80 proof vodka."

Elena took the drink and thanked him. He winked at her then helped the next guest in line.

Two drinks later, Elena was starting to forget her own name, let alone Damon's. She knew when he arrived though because all conversation stopped and she felt all the eyes on the room on her.

So much for thinking the cast and crew didn't know what was going on between them, she thought. Elena squared her shoulders and turned to face Damonn

As she had dreaded, he was with Katherine, his arm slung around her shoulders. But it looked more like she was holding him up than holding him. He looked very drunk, like he had been drinking for far longer than anyone else in the room.

The crowd lost interest after it seemed Damon had no more idea of creating drama than trying to order another drink from a reluctant Tyler.

"'Love Is Hell?' is the name of the 'signature' party drink? Who comes up with this garbage? Although, I'd have to say, the name isn't accurate. Love isn't hell! It's swell!" He laughed at his own joke, but no one else did. Suddenly he spotted Elena and moved towards her in a slightly weaving pattern across the room.

"There she is! Our star! We should ask her! Tell us Elena, is love hell or swell?" He plopped down on the couch next to her and looked up at her with mooney eyes. "You would know right? You're the expert."

"You're drunk," Elena replied distastefully.

"You're very perceptive. Its what I liked about you. That, and other things..." he leaned against her, leering.

"Get off me," she said angrily and shrugged him off.

Katherine pulled him to his feet and led him away. "Come on Damon, I'm bored. Let's go find Stefan."

"Yes, Stefan. Always Stefan," he grumbled, but followed her dutifully off towards the pool.

Elena turned immediately towards Bonnie and started talking about her week off and decision to accept a part in a play in New York. Bonnie was happy that she would be getting away, but would miss her. She promised to fly out for the premiere.

After a short time, Elena excused herself to go to the restroom. She wandered through the house until she eventually found the master bedroom and bath.

After relieving herself she walked back out into the bedroom to find Damon passed out on the bed, looking like he was out cold. Tiptoeing past him, she had almost made it to the door when she heard him call her name.

One hand on the doorknob, she half-turned towards him, knowing the right thing would be to keep going. She could hear him murmuring softly in his sleep and her feet moved towards him disobeying the voices in her head.

"Elena," he whispered, his eyes shut tight.

Her heart constricted as she heard the pain in his voice. Was she wrong about him? Did he still feel something for her? As she moved closer to the bed she heard him whisper with a sigh, "Clare de Lune." Her heart did melt that time and she found herself sitting on the edge of the bed reaching for him, and then stopped herself. What on earth was she doing?

At that moment, Damon opened his eyes. He saw her and he smiled. Seeing his smile she forgot what she was supposed to be mad about. He reached out a hand to brush her hair back from her shoulder, his fingers lingering on the soft skin. His hand slid down her arm and latched around her wrist, pulling her down onto the bed with him so that they were lying side by side. They gazed into each other's eyes for a moment before he leaned over and kissed her. Only their mouths touched, it seemed so chaste, but so much more was happening. Their tongues twisting around each other like mating snakes, their breath co-mingled, and they each breathed in the sweet scent of the other. Their noses bumped as they deepened the kiss, the suction and nibbling pushing them past the boundaries of propriety. Elena moved first, nudging in to press the length of her body against his. His hands came down to cup her hip, as he surged against her, hitting her in her sweet spot, making her cry out.

That seemed to wake him from the dream or drunken stupor he was in, and he suddenly opened his eyes wide and looked at her in horror. What in the hell was he doing?

He pushed her away and jumped off the bed, forgetting for a moment how drunk he was and nearly falling over backwards in the process. He steadied himself on the nightstand as he glared at her.

"Nice try, honey. But this ship has sailed."

Elena sat up in bed looking at him confused. "I thought..."

"I'm sure you were thinking a lot of things. All of them dirty, perfect for a dirty little girl like you." Elena blanched, because who would know better than Damon how uninhibited she was during sex? How she begged him to fuck her hard, the sloppy blowjobs she'd given him, all that screaming? She could not believe he would ever hold it against her. She thought he liked it as much as she did. She was wrong, obviously.

"But you know what I think? I think...I'm not nearly drunk enough for this conversation, so if you'll just excuse me, I have to go find my _girlfriend_." He said it with such sarcasm and hate Elena almost felt sorry for Katherine. Except she didn't and wouldn't. Ever.

Elena rose and methodically straightened her clothing and headed back into the party. She would make her goodbyes to Stefan and Tyler and the gang and give Bonnie a big hug, but then she was leaving. Going home, packing her bags and getting the first plane to New York.

She was finished with L.A. At least for now.

* * *

><p>AN: Next chapter to post soon. Can't leave you hanging out here with all this angst for too long. You'll get depressed, work and family life will suffer, you'll lost the will to live. Ok, not really.<p>

AN2: Read and review. Thanks.


	15. HalfPast Hope

**Chapter Fifteen**

Two months later...

"Tonight on a special edition of Entertainment Tonight, it's the Cannes Film Festival, we'll have footage from the red carpet premiere of Damon Salvatore's new movie 'Half-Past Hope," We'll also get to see him reunited with his sexy co-star, Elena Gilbert. Rumors are, the sparks fly both on and off the screen. So stay tuned for the latest in Entertainement news. You're watching Entertainmet Tonight! In Cannes!"

Damon turned off the TV and straightened his tie. It was time. Time to face the crowds and time to face Elena Gilbert.

* * *

><p>Elena put the finishing touches on her makeup before slipping into the silver sheath dress. Bonnie helped her pick it out and it made her feel like an old time movie star. With satin bows holding up the seamless gown, she felt like liquid silver being poured into a flask.<p>

The dress did nothing to calm her nerves though. She was going to come face to face with Damon again after two months. She had spent the last months getting her life back. First was the off-Broadway show in New York, which was demanding and fulfilling, but couldn't fill the terrible hole that Damon rent. Then back to L.A. where she landed a three-episode cameo on a hit sit-com. She moved to a larger apartment on the beach north of the city and bought a dog that was now the bane of Mr. Miagi's existence, but filled the time with walks on the beach and training him.

And she had started dating again, at Bonnie's insistence. Elijah Hamilton had been asking her out and she eventually said yes. He was a true gentleman, never tried to do more than kiss her goodnight. Chances are he knew of her involvement with Damon, and had decided to give her plenty of space, which she was grateful for. She hadn't heard much about Damon other than he had broken up with Katherine and was dating a Brazilian supermodel. Well, she wished him luck. And hoped tonight would be the last she would see of him.

She had managed to avoid him all day, even though they had back-to-back interviews with the major networks. There were repeated requests for them to interview together, which Elena flatly refused. Ric didn't push it. He knew something had happened between them and assumed it had something to do with Katherine. Elena though, didn't see it as Katherine's fault. It was Damon who made the choice to go back to her.

The small bit of press they had done together had generated an enormous buzz by the time they got to France. "Half-Past Hope" was the most eagerly anticipated of the big studio releases. All the publicity, even before the movie opened, led to talk of a sequel, which was hard to imagine, considering the ending. But it was just rumors. Either it was mere speculation or Ric didn't have the nerve to bring it up to ask Elena. Not even Jenna had said anything, and she and Elena had become good friends. Mostly everyone avoided the subject of Damon Salvatore around Elena, unless they wanted to see her shut down and grow very quiet.

She heard a knock on the door and she stood and surveyed her appearance once more before heading out, trying on different smiles until she found one that didn't look quite so much like a grimace.

"Here they are! Welcome Damon Salvatore and Elena Gilbert!" The over-enthusiastic host shook both their hands and took a moment to gush over Elena's dress.

The host's expression turned serious. "Tell us, Damon, we hear this movie has some really hot love scenes. Which was your favorite one?"

Damon laughed and nudged the host. "All of them."

Elena tried to keep her face from turning bright red.

"What about you Elena? Which was your favorite?"

Elena smirked. "None of them."

"Good one," Damon laughed. "I think you'll see from the movie, we both enjoyed them plenty."

"Well, I was _acting_ Damon."

The whole conversation was done in a teasing tone, but the undercurrent was clear to the host and the millions of TV viewers. Damon Salvatore and Elena Gilbert were flirting with each other.

Damon loved hearing her laugh, even if it was at his expense. He grabbed her hand and brought her knuckles to his lips. "Always so feisty," he said so quietly no one else could hear him, but from his expression it was clear he said something intimate to her. She jerked her hand back and marched off down the red carpet, not giving a damn what anyone thought. Damon caught up with her a moment later and walked beside her, all the time waving and smiling at his fans.

"What's your damage, Gilbert?" he asked, the smile never leaving his face.

She ignored him and went over to sign some autographs. The fans went nuts as they saw Damon following her wherever she went.

They continued down the red carpet till they were almost at the entrance, when he stopped her with a hand on her arm. "Wanna give them a show?"

She scowled at him and tried to disengage herself. "Don't touch me."

"I thought you liked it," he said laughing.

She laughed back mirthlessly. "Liked. Past tense."

"I can prove that's a lie."

"Not interested, la la la," she said as she tried to walk off, wishing she could put her fingers in her ears to drown him out.

"Watch this," he whispered and pulled her into his arms, wrapping her tightly in his embrace as he brought his lips down to hers. Elena was dimly aware of the crowd erupting in a cheer before the world fell away again, the way it always did when Damon kissed her.

She should have pulled away immediately, but she felt helpless to move, she had missed him so much, having him there with her was like a dream manifest. He tasted just like she remembered, he smelled heavenly, freshly scrubbed and tuxed, and his fingers that sought hers were callused and warm and she could remember all the dark places he had put them.

His tongue slipped past the defenses of her tightly pressed lips and went in to do battle with hers. It was only a renewed round of fan's screaming, chanting "More tongue!" that brought her back to her senses and she reared back and smacked him across the face.

"I said, leave me alone." She no longer cared that the last gasping breath of their affair was now on display for the world to see. She no longer cared about the gossip rags or staying out of the limelight. She wanted the world to know that the great Damon Salvatore doesn't get everything he wants. She gave him one last look of warning then turned on her heel and went into the theater.

Unfortunately he found her a few minutes later, taking the open seat next to her and in front of Ric and Jenna. Jenna was checking her phone and suddenly smacked Damon in the back of the head.

"Ouch! What was that for?"

Jenna just glared at him with a 'You-Know-What' look.

At that moment the theater darkened as the movie began. Elena was very aware of how close he was sitting and she inched over to the far side, sighing exasperadely when he inched closer each time she moved away.

She elbowed him hard in the ribs, illicitng a soft 'oomph' before he withdrew and left her in peace.

* * *

><p><em>Ian: You're alive... (he holds Nina at an arm's length, unwilling to believe she is real). What happened?<em>

_Nina: (shell shocked) Pavel wanted me for himself, so he faked my death to make sure you would leave us, but of course you didnt. You wanted revenge._

_Ian: It's called 'justice.'_

_Nina: He thought he could make me his plaything just by threatening you and for a while it worked. Until... (she gestures to a very dead Pavel at their feet)_

_Ian: Until you killed him. For me. (He pulls Nina to him and kisses her softly on the lips.) I love you Nina._

_Nina: (her hands coming up to rest on his shoulders). I love you too. Which is why I'm sorry._

_Ian: Sorry for what?_

_Nina: For this. _

_(She whips out a pistol and shoots him in the chest three times. He falls to the floor looking up at her with confused eyes.) This bomb is worth so much more than what the pathetic Pavel wanted for it. So very much more. (She steps over Ian and grabs the suitcase). Goodbye Ian. Thanks for the good time. (She walks out leaving Ian to die in the abandoned warehouse)_

_(As Ian slowly bleeds to death, we see him come to acceptance and peace and he dies with the name "Nina" on his lips)_

_Finis._

There was a quiet moment in the theater after the movie ended when no one moved. Elena felt herself sinking into her seat. Oh God, they hated it, she thought. It was as cheesy as she has suspected. I'll never work again. She's got herself so worked up she almost missed the explosion of applause that came a moment later. The crowd stood and cheered, and everyone turned to them beeming and ecstatic, like they had just had the most amazing experience of their lives. Some of the women were crying and she spotted more than one man trying to sureptiously trying to wipe an eye.

Elena turned to Damon with an incredulous look on her face. He was looking back her beeming as brightly as they crowds around them. "It's good, right?" he asked her and took her hand in hers and kissed her fingers. "It's all you," he said graciously, making her blush even deeper than she had been.

He leaned over and whispered in her ear, "Would you do me the honor of attending the mayor's ball with me tonight?" She nodded yes.

Slowly they made their way out of the crowds to the waiting limo. Damon closed the door and suddenly they were alone, thrust into silence with only the limo driver to witness the look between them.

"Mayor's Ball, sir?" the driver asked with a thick French accent.

"Oui," Damon replied, never taking his eyes off Elena.

The driver inched away through the heavy traffic, raising the partition between the front and back seats, shrouding Elena and Damon, leaving them in their own world.

* * *

><p>AN1: My favorite line from this chapter: "It's called justice." Either that, or the cheesy name of the movie. Really, could it be worse?<p>

AN:2: Two more chapters to go. Kind of sad to see it end. Sorry this one was so short, just kind of worked out that way.

AN3: Read, review, share the love.


	16. The Good Ship

**Chapter 16**

They didn't say a word to each other in the car. Or at the ball. He just took her in his arms and danced with her for hours. Everyone clamored for his or her attention, but other than a brief conversation with the mayor, they ignored everyone else, and no one seemed to care. Those who had seen the movie sighed with pleasure seeing their on-screen dream made into a reality. The photographers, held back from the party, managed to sneak in somehow and most of their photos were of Damon Salvatore and Elena Gilbert dancing dance after dance. Regardless of the tempo he held her close and danced slowly, only the slightest of distance between them.

Mesmerized by her lips he leaned in to kiss her, but was stopped with a hand on his chest. He looked up into her eyes and saw the questions, all the questions lurking there.

"We need to talk, yeah?" he said a bit sheepishly.

She nodded and smiled, a kind smile. He took her by the hand and led her out of the party, past the gawking party guests, past friends and co-workers trying not to stare, past the paparazzi throng, out into the night, just the two of them.

They headed towards the marina where a kindly old security guard let them in. "Slip 22," he said quietly as they passed by. Either he was a fan or knew when two people needed to be alone, his directions led to a sailboat yacht with a For Sale on it. Deck chairs were on the bow and the cabin looked unlatched.

They each took off their shoes and climbed aboard. Damon took off his tie and unbuttoned the first two buttons. Elena slipped off the dress to reveal a satin slip underneath.

He froze. "Dressed like that we won't get a lot of talking in."

"Says you," she replied saucily and walked nimbly to the bow of the boat.

He followed her and sat opposite, both chairs looking out into the marina and the Mediterranean beyond. The moon was low and big in the sky, hovering just around the horizon, as if threatening to disappear for good.

Elena tucked her feet under her and simply said, "Explain."

Damon didn't need to say 'Explain what?' or employ any kind of defensive mechanisms. He owed her a monumental apology and there was no sugarcoating it.

"I'm an asshole," he began, his eyes never leaving hers, trying to figure out where to start. "When I met Katherine," he began, and, seeing her tense, put a hand on her knee to reassure her. "When I met her I was the shyest, most naive person you'd ever meet."

"But wasn't that right after 'The New Kid'? That was your breakout."

"Yeah, but I was only 21, had only slept with two girls before. I'm serious. I was wet behind the ears. Katherine, when she came along just blew my mind. She was so worldly and sexy, she saw the potential in me, and I suppose if she had really been interested in me we might have really been together, instead of the sham we perpetrated on each other and everyone else all these years."

"You mean Stefan?

"She was obsessed with both of us, but yes, she's always loved him, even now, after all these years and Stefan's coming out. She's a very bitter woman."

"So she got back with you to get back at Stefan? She had to realize how ridiculous that was. He didn't want her anymore."

"And she couldn't take that. She's a very damaged person, Elena. I knew she was obsessive, but I didn't know how much till recently."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"What I mean, is that when she decided she wanted me back and you were suddenly in the picture, she kind of went crazy. Bad crazy." He looked away from her, hesitating.

Elena just looked at him, waiting for him to continue.

"She fabricated photos of you to prove to me that you were no better than she was."

"What?" Elena was momentarily shocked then instantly livid, her face burning bright hot. "She did what?" The words he uttered made no sense to her.

"She had all of these very, um," he swallowed hard, "very explicit photos of you having sex with lots of men, including Elijah."

Elena brought her hand up to her mouth, aghast. "I have never had sex with Elijah Hamilton," she whispered.

Damon tried to hide his sigh of relief, not that she didn't have any right to sleep with whomever she wanted, especially after the way he treated her.

"Katherine showed the photos to me, and they just looked so real. But I don't know why I believed her." His head dropped in shame. "She can be very convincing, and I mean, damn, who would do that?"

"Someone who loves you very much."

"Maybe, in her own twisted way. But Stefan is the smart one in the family, obviously. He was so upset he hired a forensics' specialist to examine the photos. That's how he determined they were faked."

"But you believed it. No questions asked." She couldn't hide the hurt in her voice.

"I told you he's the smart one. He's also the skeptical one. It occurred to him Katherine might be up to no good whereas I couldn't imagine someone doing such a thing."

Elena smiled at him sadly. That was true. Damon was a fragile, ultimately trusting person, lacking a guile that was probably a necessity in a business such as show business. Suddenly she knew Damon better than she thought she did.

"So then what?" she asked.

"Stefan invited us over for dinner and had the detective present. He confronted her and told her if she ever contacted the family again he would ruin her. "

"Wow," Elena replied breathlessly.

"She put up a fight, of course. Told me I was nothing without her, yadda yadda. Once it was clear I'd been had, I threw her out." He rubbed his hands together briskly like he was ridding them of dirt.

"So why didn't you tell me right away?"

"I wanted to. I wanted to call you right away, but I was so ashamed of myself. How could I believe someone so evil over someone who was obviously so good? I fell into a deep depression. Drank a lot. With bikers. Not a great scene." He grimaced. "But then Stefan beat some sense into me."

"What did he say?"

"He asked me if I loved you."

"What did you say?" Elena forced herself to not hold her breath and just breathe normally.

Damon looked into Elena's eyes and she could see the moon and the water reflected there. "I told him that I loved you more than life itself."

Elena, lost momentarily in his eyes and his words was mesmerized then she smiled slyly and said, "Loved? As in past tense?"

"Loved. Love. Want to be with. Want to spend the rest of my life with." He dropped to his knees in front of her and grabbed her hands, his eyes hopeful but full of pain. "Elena, can you ever forgive me for how I've treated you?"

"Damon, I -"

When she hesitated he looked away, broken. "I guess it's too late," he said quietly. "I blew it. I should have -"

She interrupted him with a roll of her eyes and squeezing his hands. "Will you just shut up for a minute?"

"Ok," he replied, facing her again.

"You talk to much, you know that? And you jump to the worst conclusions about everyone. Not everyone is out to get you Damon, least of all me. If you had taken a moment to listen to anything I've said to you or paid attention to anything I've done with you, you'd know."

"Know what?"

"That I'm madly in Iove with you too."

"Really?" He said, his voice cracking and tears appearing at the corners of his eyes.

"Really. And I think I have from the first moment I met you. Or maybe the second," she joked, remembering their first tense meeting in Ric's office.

He took a moment to gaze at her before asking his next question. "Elena, will you do me the honor

of—"

"Whoop. Hold it right there buddy," she said with a finger on his lips. "Just because we have declared undying love I'm not sure I'm ready to hear your question."

"Understood. We'll go slow. Maybe a date Saturday night?"

"Sure," she replied in a whisper, drawing closer to him. "But now I need you to kiss me."

He tangled his hands in her hair and pulled her to him. "That I can do," and pulled her into a searing kiss.

* * *

><p>Damon took the For Sale sign down before they headed into the cabin. There were no lights, but the low, bright moon provided enough illumination.<p>

He tucked a strand of her long brown hair behind her ear and gazed into her eyes. How could one man be so lucky? Especially since that same man had done everything he could to fuck up the only truly good thing that had ever happened to him. He vowed silently to spend the rest of his life making her happy.

He slipped the spaghetti strap of the slip off one shoulder and placed a kiss on the soft spot between her chest and where her shoulder began. He trailed kisses along her collarbone and throat until he reached her chin, where he sucked down, causing her to groan. They kissed deeply, tongues lashed together, hands suddenly all over each other.

"Missed you," she whispered hoarsely as her hands trailed over the front of his chest and began to undo his shirt buttons. She slipped it off his shoulders and helped him strip the undershirt.

He was like a statue of a Greek God, muscles rippling, tight, lean, built for sex. With her. She leaned down and took a nipple in her mouth and sucked it to a hard peak. He moaned and pulled her up. "Better find the captains quarters before I take you right here in the galley."

"Aye aye cap'n," she said playfully.

Damon found a candle and some matches and they found their way to the darkest reaches of the boat. Near the bow was a huge room dominated by an equally huge bed, it took up almost the entire space.

"They must have been thinking of us," he smirked, and picked her up and threw her on the bed.

"Think we need to change the sheets?" She said, fingering the patterned bedspread.

"Nah, looks like they're showing it. More than likely it's been sitting her for a while." He dropped his pants and stood before her in his boxers, his erection making them tent.

She gulped then reached out a hand to stroke him through the material. She scooted over to the side of the bed and slid the waistband off his hips, starting a line of kisses were it once lay. She eased the boxers off and marveled at the sight of him. How did she ever fit him inside her? She leaned down and licked the precum off the tip of his cock.

"Oh yeah," he said gruffly, tilting his hips towards her. She took him in her hand and began stroking him and licking the head. She took him in her mouth and sucked down hard.

He gently pushed her back. "Time for that later. Need to be inside you. Now."

He slid the rest of her slip off past her heaving breasts and curvy hips, exposing her to his hands and talented tongue. He sucked one nipple then the other before he lay down on top of her and positioned himself at her entrance.

"Ready?" he murmured into the shell of her ear.

""Do I feel ready?" she teased, as he could feel the heat and wetness already. He sunk down into her slowly, savoring every inch until he bottomed out in her. She didn't make a sound before he began moving in and out of her, but each stroke elicited another gasp, a louder moan, until she was shouting his name and God's in rapid succession as a monumental orgasm shook her to her very foundation.

It didn't take long before he followed her, wishing he could stay hard for her all night, but helpless to her body wringing him dry.

Panting he rolled over, bringing her with him on top, keeping himself sheathed within her.

He began moving in her gently, half hard, thinking it may take a few minutes before another go-round, when she sat up on him, grinding into him, her hands coming up to clasp a mountainful of hair on top of her head. She was the most beautiful sight he had ever beheld. Breasts bobbing atop the smooth expanse of her stomach, reflected in the candlelight, it wasn't long before they both achieved release together. Clinging together, their sweat-soaked bodies demanded more and more of each other, that each was deliriously happy to give.

They parted, rolling over to their sides to face each other. She placed a palm under her cheek and with the other drew circles on his shoulder and arm. The candle was behind him, but she could see the smoldering look he was giving her and knew it wouldn't be long before another go.

He pulled her hair back from her face and smiled into her eyes. The candlelight cast deep shadows, but her face was perfectly illuminated.

She brought herself over to him, and laid against his chest, sighing happily.

"So is now a good time to ask you to marry me?"

She laughed and hit him on the shoulder. "You are the most stubborn man I've ever met."

"Yeah, and you love me despite it."

"Yes," she said, climbing back on top of him. "Yes, I do." She brought her lips down to capture his, letting her hair cover them in a thick curtain, sealing them off from the rest of the world.

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><p>AN1: Finally, right? Next up, the epilogue.<p>

AN2: Read, review, share the love, which I hope at this point, will be coming….


	17. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

_pg 42...excerpt from Vogue magazine's Stars and Starlets issue, Feb 12, issue 103. Kelly Ripa and the Live! with Kelly logo used with permission from the ABC network. All rights reserved. _

_"And the winner of the Golden Globe for best actress in a dramatic role is Elena Gilbert for her portrayal of the prostitute transgendered nun in Sister Maria and Change!"_

_Kelly Ripa, everyone's favorite gossip turned from the monitor to Elena, sitting in a high-backed chair next to her. _

_Kelly Ripa: Tell us, Elena, what was that like, wining the big GG?_

_Elena: It was the second best night of my life._

_Kelly: What was the first?_

_Damon Salvatore (Elena's husband and constant companion): That's top secret and probably not appropriate for a morning show._

_Elena: (elbowing him in the ribs) Stop it. The best moment of my life was getting married. _

_Damon: To me (he said proudly) _

_Elena: No, to the pool boy. But you were a close second. _

_It's clear to this interviewer that Damon Salvatore, Hollywood's biggest star and hottest hunk, has met his match in his former co-star, Elena Gilbert. While the movie they made together, 'Half-Past Hope' was panned by the critics it has since become an audience favorite, with midnight showings where couples act out the final scene together, the part that surprised everyone, when Nina Dobrev, (played by Elena Gilbert) could be so cold-blooded as to kill the only man that had ever loved her. _

_In real life, there was a happier ending. After a much discussed slap on the red carpet in Cannes, the couple quickly wed in a Vegas, only their close friends and family among them. Now they live in Malibu with two dogs and a cat. Elena got a plum role in the true-life story of a male prostitute who wants to become a nun. Many scoffed that the womanly figure of Elena Gilbert couldn't pull off a male role, but much like Hilary Swank in 'Boys Don't Cry" she pulled it off to great success and is now a front runner for the Oscar._

_Her husband, who usually bounces right to a new project after the old one, has taken a hiatus from acting, preferring instead to accompanying his wife on all her shoots. _

_"I keep the trailer warm," he told us. _

_Pgs 43-44_

_[photo of Elena and Damon running with their dogs on the beach in Malibu]_

_[photo of Elena in makeup as a man for 'Sister Maria' having a cup of coffee with the film's director]_

_[photo of Elena and Damon on the red carpet for the opening of Stefan Salvatore's new movie 'Wonderlust']_

_Pg 44...Hollywood's golden couple might be seen around town or on the red carpet, but they are known for being very private, almost never giving interviews except to Kelly Ripa, whom they partially credit for getting them together. Asked who took most of the credit for their couplehood they both replied in unison, "Stefan." Neither would elaborate on Damon's brothers' central role in getting them together. Sources have linked Damon and Stefan's ex, Katherine Petrova to the drama, but Ms. Petrova could not be reached for comment as she is making a movie in Antarctica spelling for an extended period of time. An anonymous quote from a friend put it succinctly, "We're all glad to see the last of her. Elena, is like, so much better for him. He's actually happy!"_

_And like any good parent, we're happy when he's happy..._

Damon threw down the magazine in disgust. Elena picked it up and thumbed through the rest of it, letting her head rest back against his broad shoulders. They were sitting on the deck in a swing, Elena snuggled up against him, one foot tucked under her.

"Ugh, did you read it? I sound so whipped. I thought Vogue was supposed to be this high-class magazine. That was more like the rags you get at the airport."

"I think it's sweet," Elena replied, engrossed in the spread of Lady Gaga and a troupe of semi-nude male dancers. "You're so devoted to me, you've given up your own career. It's touching to watch you be co-dependent."

"Hesh up woman, I call the shots around here."

Elena rolled her eyes but didn't say anything, but he spotted it and began tickling her mercilessly.

"Stop! I mean it," Elena said as she giggled so hard she nearly fell over.

"Never. Stop. Never," he replied, digging his index fingers under her arms as he maneuvered her to lie beneath him. The swing rocked gently with them.

"Damon," she said breathlessly as she felt his fingertips soften and run up and down her sides as he pulled her closer.

She nuzzled into him, "Don't stop," she said, threading her fingers through his soft hair. "Never want you to."

He replied with a kiss. That was one thing she never had to worry about again. Damon Salvatore wasn't going anywhere without Elena Gilbert ever again.

The End

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><p>AN1: Waaah! I don't want it to be over. But any more twists and turns and it would have turned ridiculous. This was a good place to stop.<p>

AN2: Taking guesses on who made the anonymous quote. Actually you only have one guess.

AN3: Thank you for all the lovely feedback and enthusiastic reviews. It has been such a pleasure to write for all of you. Thanks for your patience and have fun reading Delena! It's my turn now to see what you all are writing!


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